


Poisoned Waters

by Markovia



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Alcohol, Camping, Holiday, Kissing, Lots of alcohol, M/M, Raijin Days, School Trip, Seaside, Sex, Sexual Tension, Smoking, Swimming, Vacation, Violence, Yakuza
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2018-10-30 15:33:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10879737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Markovia/pseuds/Markovia
Summary: The Raijin boys go on a school trip to Okinawa before their graduation. It might have been fun had Shinra not signed them all up to share the same room.





	1. Oh, I do love to be beside the seaside

**Author's Note:**

> Fairly short introduction to a new piece I've been working on. It's not going to be as long as others and will definitely be more light-hearted than my usual work! It gives me the chance to play around with Kadota and Shinra as well, I've not written their characters that often. 
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> *Please note, I am an idiot and forgot to look up the drinking age in Japan before writing this. Due to my sheer stupidity, I have lowered the drinking age for the whole of Japan to eighteen years old. Well done me.*

Raijin Academy’s final school trip occurred just after they had all turned eighteen. It was almost like a pre-graduation send off, there was no academic merit for attending, just a few planned activities, sight-seeing and predominantly free time to explore. There were three separate options so the groups were small, around fifteen students for each trip. Their destination was Okinawa, at a plush resort by the sea. There was plenty to do and see and it might have been fun - were it not for the fact that the flea had been placed in his group _and_ his room.

 

Shizuo tried to ignore the nasty little creature that was sat behind him on the bus. They’d just departed from the airport toward their hotel and the close proximity to Izaya was killing him. When he’d found out that Shinra had signed him up for a room with himself, Kadota and _the fucking flea,_ he’d almost punched the glasses off his dumb face. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to spend any time with him, Shizuo hadn’t been on holiday that much and he wanted to enjoy his time out of Ikebukuro as much as possible. That was already proving difficult, as Izaya was kicking the back of his seat.

 

“I can’t wait to get in the ocean,” Kadota said, pointing out of the window. A beautiful expanse of water sparkled not too far from the road and the pulsing sun created waves of heat across the gentle waves.

 

Shizuo nodded. “It’s too fucking hot, it’ll be great to get in there.”

 

Shinra let out a squeal of excitement and leaned over the top of Kadota’s seat. “You know, there’s a really great scuba-diving spot at Cape Maeda. There’s all sorts of fascinating sea-life and this awesome place beneath the cliff called ‘Blue Cave’ which looks really beautiful.”

 

“You been here before?” Kadota asked. His eyes slid sideways to look at Shizuo, who was slowly turning purple with anger. He could see that the blond’s chair was moving slightly every five seconds and he frowned.

 

“Oh yeah, but only once,” Shinra replied, wistfully. “It’s such a shame I couldn’t bring Celty. She would have looked great in a bikini.”

 

Kadota laughed lightly and rested his head back against the window. He liked the heat but being on this cramped bus was stifling so he hoped they arrived soon. Shizuo let out a low growl and turned to look at Shinra, who was still babbling on about something.

 

“...-uo you should go diving! I bet you can hold your breath for ages. Would you let me time how long you can stay underwater for? Your body is truly a marvel, so I bet your lungs are-”

 

“Shinra,” Shizuo hissed, his voice a low rumble in his chest. The bespectacled boy glanced down at the blond, who was staring back angrily with his teeth bared and his fists clenched tightly in his lap. “Tell that little shit next to you to stop kicking my seat or I will tear his legs off.”

 

Shinra laughed nervously and prodded Izaya on the shoulder with his forefinger. He was smiling unpleasantly, clearly aware of how irritating he was being. The bespectacled boy didn’t know why the two of his friends fought so much but he didn’t really mind, in fact he found it rather amusing at times. Despite this, Shinra knew when Shizuo was reaching his breaking point and he’d rather not have them brawling while he was trying to enjoy his holiday. By the worried way Kadota was staring at him it was clear he felt the same.

 

“Uh, Izaya,” Shinra mumbled. The other boy turned his head and looked up at him.

 

“Yes, my dear Shinra?” he replied, raising a brow.

 

“Could you stop kicking Shizuo’s seat?” he asked, gesturing at Izaya’s still-kicking foot.

 

Izaya chuckled and shook his head. “Nope.”

 

That snide remark was all it took for Shizuo to twist around in his seat and lash out for Izaya’s head. The smaller boy just laughed and dodged the vicious punches while Kadota tried to pulled Shizuo back down into his seat.

 

“Sit down!”

 

“No! I wanna kill the little shit!”

 

“Aw, you’re so mean Shizu-chan.”

 

“Don’t fucking call me that!”

 

Shinra sighed and leaned his elbow against the frame of the window as his friends continued their assault on one another. The sharp hiss of metal told him that Izaya had pulled a knife, not that Shizuo really had to worry.

 

“Not on the bus!” Kadota exclaimed, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. Eventually he managed to get Shizuo to sit back down. He seemed to calm down for a moment - right up until Izaya landed an especially hard kick to the back of his chair.

 

“Kyouhei, I’ve been _more_ than patient with that fucking fleabag,” he ground out. There was a vein visibly pulsing in his forehead and Kadota worried that he might really lose it if this continued, so he turned to face Izaya.

 

“Oi, Orihara,” Kadota called. Izaya looked up at him and smiled brightly. There was something odd about the smaller boy that Kadota couldn’t place. Izaya was friendly enough, intelligent, easy to talk to - but there was a strangeness to his red-tinged eyes, a sort of removed coldness that indicated he was just observing life around him rather than participating. There was a sinister edge to his smirk and he always _smirked,_ he never smiled. Despite his rather delicate features, Orihara was clearly not as fragile as he appeared. Not if his fights with Shizuo were anything to go by.

 

“Yes, Dotachin?” he replied, innocently.

 

“Stop kicking, it’s annoying,” Kadota ordered, brows knitting together.

 

Izaya’s smiled stretched wider and his eyes glinted dangerously but he nodded and his foot stilled. “Anything you say, Dotachin.”

 

“And stop calling me that.”

 

“Anything _apart_ from that.”

 

Kadota sighed and sat back in his seat. The blond next to him nodded and gave him a small smile.

 

“Thanks man,” Shizuo muttered, quietly. “I dunno how I’m gonna get through this week.”

 

“You’ll be okay,” Kadota answered, reassuringly. “Just try and relax. I know he provokes you but try not to react.”

 

“That’s hard when he’s doing his best to make me try and kill him,” Shizuo whispered, angrily.

 

“Looks like we’re arriving!” Shinra exclaimed, standing up in his seat. He shook Izaya’s shoulder and pointed excitedly at the cliffs in the distance. “This is gonna be awesome!”

 

Izaya hummed and his nose wrinkled in distaste. “Your enthusiasm is annoying.”

 

“Aww, c’mon, this is exciting. The ocean is awesome,” the other boy laughed, sitting back in his seat.

 

“No it’s not.”

 

“Yes it is.”

 

The brunet rolled his eyes and leaned against the armrest so that he could rest his chin on his knuckles. This whole trip was a pain in the ass, he thought. He’d left his sisters at home with a nanny, which was expensive, plus he couldn’t take his laptop with him so he’d had to take a vacation from working on his burgeoning information business. Being out of the loop was rather unhelpful, he’d have to rely on his smartphone alone for updates on the underworld in Ikebukuro. Izaya stared blankly at the passing ocean and his lip curled in disgust. He hated water, especially open water. The young man had never been a strong swimmer so he tended to steer clear of events that involved water but no doubt he would be expected to join in by Shinra and Kadota. It would be unpleasant to admit that he couldn’t swim well in front of Shizuo, so he would _not_ allow that to happen. On top of all that, he had to spend a week with that _monster._ Damn Shinra for putting them in the same room, he’d much prefer to be as far away as possible. Never mind, he thought with a smirk, he could amuse himself by driving Shizuo mad at least.

 

Izaya stood up in his seat and leaned over the back of Shizuo’s seat, making sure to rest his forearms on the blond’s head. He rested his chin on the seat and smiled down at Kadota, ignoring the way the boy beneath his arms was twitching.

 

“Can I sleep on a bunk-bed with you Dotachin?” he asked, tone overly polite. “You can go on the top if you want?”

 

Kadota raised a brow and across at Shizuo, whose face was flushed with rage. He was clearly trembling in his effort to restrain himself but he’d yet to explode which was a good sign.

 

“Sure, sounds good,” Kadota replied, nodding.

 

Izaya let out a small cheer and leaned heavily against Shizuo’s head, making the blond crick his neck down. “Cool! “

 

Shizuo growled under his breath and jerked his head up to shake Izaya off. “I’m not bunking with Shinra. He does weird experiments on me when I sleep.”  

 

“Hey!” the bespectacled boy called.

 

“What? You do.”

 

Izaya frowned. “Well I want to stay with Kadota.”

 

Shinra pouted and folded his arms across his chest. “You know the rooms are for four people, not two?”

 

The blond groaned. “Are you fucking serious? I don’t want the flea anywhere near me! He’ll stab me when I’m sleepin’ or something.”

 

“Why the fuck would I go near you?” Izaya retorted, derisively. “I’m not exactly keen on sleeping near you either, Shizu-chan.”

 

The tension between the two rivals was rapidly growing, so Kadota - as the only sane person there - saw fit to calm them down.

 

“Guys, chill out,” he sighed, tiredly. “Can’t you just lay off for this one week? It’s troublesome having to clean up after all your messes.”

 

“But-” they both said in unison.

 

“Quiet!” Kadota snapped. He wasn’t a confrontational guy most of the time but there was an authoritative tone to his voice when he wanted it. “One fucking week of calm is all I’m asking. Then we can go back to ‘Bukuro and you can start killing each other again, okay?”

 

Izaya and Shizuo glared at one another for a moment before the blond hesitantly sighed. “Fine. As long as he promises not to be so fuckin’ annoying.”

 

“I’ll try my best, Shizu-chan,” Izaya taunted, smirking nastily.

 

The blond flinched at the use of that hated nickname but he didn’t move. Kadota sighed and slumped against the window - this was going to be a long week.


	2. A brawl and a bar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Please note, I am an idiot and forgot to look up the drinking age in Japan before writing this. Due to my sheer stupidity, I have lowered the drinking age for the whole of Japan to eighteen years old. Well done me.*

“8...9...10! Here we go!” Shinra declared, halting outside of a wooden door at the end of the corridor. He fished out the keycard the receptionist had given them and swiped it smoothly through the reader on the door. It beeped loudly and the sound of locks turning clicked. “Home sweet home.”

 

“Thank fuck, I need to change,” Shizuo grumbled. As the strongest one there, he was carrying the majority of their suitcases - though, of course he refused to carry Izaya’s. The smaller man was dragging his heavy case behind him at the other end of the corridor, visibly flushed due to the heat of the afternoon. 

 

“You okay Izaya?” Kadota called, leaving his case by the door so he could assist his friend. Shizuo rolled his eyes and picked up Kyouhei’s unattended case so he could place it with the others in their room. The brunet nodded and allowed Kadota to assist in shifting his belongings down the hall until they reached the door. 

 

“Thanks Dotachin!” he said, sounding thoroughly worn out. “It’s too hot.”

 

“Don’t like the heat?” Kadota asked, heaving the case into the room. “Jeez, what have you got in here? A body?”

 

Shizuo glanced over at Izaya and snorted. “I wouldn’t put it past him.”

 

The bespectacled boy was flitting about the room, inspecting the various areas with glee. The main room was a decent size, containing a small kitchen and living area. There was a door on one side which led to a bedroom with two single beds and another two on the opposite wall, one of which led to an identical bedroom and the other to a tiny bathroom. It was a good quality set of rooms but Raijin Academy was a private school and could therefore spend a little more extravagantly on trips. 

 

“This is nice,” Shizuo commented, collapsing onto the sofa. He stretched his arms out along the cushions of the backrest. “Do we have anything to do today?” 

 

Kadota searched through his backpack and pulled out a few papers. “Uhh, doesn’t look like it. We’ve got a tour of Ryukyu Mura tomorrow but that’s actually the only thing we’re all doing together. Oh wait, on the final day we’re going to watch fireworks from Manzamo, that big cliff we saw on the way in. I think we’re expected to find things to do ourselves, since we’re all adults now.”

 

“What do you want to do for the rest of the day?” Shinra asked, flopping down beside Shizuo. Izaya took a seat in the armchair opposite the blond and they glared at one another silently.  

 

“It’s already two o’clock,” Kadota noted, looking down at his watch. “We should probably take a walk into Onna Village centre to get some food from a store at some point.”

 

Izaya started fanning himself with his hand. His usually pale skin was pink as he was very overheated. “I don’t really care as long as there’s shade.”

 

“I wanna go to the beach!” Shizuo exclaimed. He tore his aggressive stare away from Izaya and grinned at Kadota. “It’s boiling hot so we can cool down in the water. I wanna spend as much time there as possible.”

 

Kadota returned the grin and nodded. “I’d love to go to the beach.”

 

“I agree!” Shinra squealed, jumping up with excitement. “Would it be rude to suggest cocktails?”

 

Izaya chuckled and got to his feet so that he could move over to his suitcase. “That’s the best thing you’ve said all day, Shinra.”

 

He knelt and unzipped his case so that he could find some lighter clothes. His brows furrowed when he realised almost every piece of clothing he owned was black. With a sigh, he pulled out a cotton t-shirt and a pair of shorts made of linen. The other boys were also fishing out other clothes - it seems that they’d all underestimated how hot it would be when they stepped off the plane from Tokyo. 

 

“I’d like to check out that ‘Blue Cave’ thing Shinra was talking about one day this week,” Kadota said, stripping off his shirt so that he could pull on a pale green t-shirt. He ran a hand through his slicked back hair and let out a breath. “Man, it’s hot. Anyone got sunscreen?”

 

“I need some too actually,” Shizuo commented. He was already wearing shorts so he just pulled off his damp jumper and threw it onto the floor beside his suitcase.

 

Izaya glanced briefly at his shirtless foe. He wasn’t as visibly muscular as expected, in fact he was rather lean. There was sweat clinging to his shoulders and Izaya found his gaze lingering on the sheen of the moisture around his neck. On second glances, the brunet noticed that Shizuo’s limbs were incredibly tense, almost as if he were constantly primed and ready to fight. There were a number of scars across his torso, a few of which Izaya himself had laid there. He liked the way they looked on his tan skin; thin white stains that would never heal, that would always remind Shizuo of who gave them to him. Izaya felt his face flush further when he realised he’d been staring just a little too long, so he quickly started to change. When he pulled his t-shirt over his head, he found that Shizuo, who was now wearing a white button-up, was scowling at him. 

 

“What?” Izaya snapped, throwing his sweaty jumper down into his case. 

 

Shizuo wrinkled his nose. “You’re so thin, how the fuck haven’t I broken any of your bones yet?”

 

The brunet smirked but his eyes narrowed hatefully. “I’m stronger than I look.”

 

“You  _ look  _ like shit.”

 

“You wanna wake up with a knife in between your eyes, beast?”

 

Kadota took a step forward between the two men, sensing immediate conflict. “Hey, hey. C’mon.”

 

Shizuo scowled at the smaller boy as he smirked and turned away to head into one of the bedrooms. 

 

“This room has a balcony with a view of the sea,” Izaya called. 

 

The blond’s ear pricked up at that comment. He picked up his suitcase and carried it over to the room Izaya was standing in. With no further word he chucked the case at the smaller boy who went crashing to the floor with a grunt of pain. 

 

“What the fuck, Shizu-chan?” 

 

“I'm having this room.” 

 

Izaya hoisted himself back onto his feet and brushed off his trousers. He kicked Shizuo’s case so it moved back toward the other boy. “I was here first, I want this room.”

 

“I want the balcony so I can smoke!” Shizuo replied, pointing at the double doors situated at the end of the room. There was a pleasant view of the ocean and cliffs in the distance, as well as a view over the small village. 

 

Shinra popped his head around the door and gave them both a bright grin. “Well that’s sorted then! You two can have this room and me and Kyouhei will take the other. 

 

Before the two rivals had time to reply, the boy laughed highly and swung the door shut, leaving them alone in the room. Kadota raised an eyebrow as Shinra strolled toward his suitcase, humming a happy tune to himself. A series of loud crashes came from behind the closed door followed by a roar from Shizuo. 

 

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Kadota asked, following Shinra into the other bedroom with his bags. “They’re gonna tear each other apart.”

 

“Oh definitely,” Shinra replied, placing his bag at the end of one of the beds. “I mean, would you really want to sleep near  _ either  _ of them. Shizuo snores like a bear and Izaya - well, he’s  _ Izaya. _ ” 

 

Kadota chuckled and headed back into the main room, closely followed by Shinra. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

 

The door to the other bedroom swung open and hit the wall with a loud bang. Shizuo stomped out, holding Izaya aloft in the air by his throat. There was a thin cut on his cheek from which blood was beginning to dribble. He was baring his teeth at the boy in his grasp, who was managing to cackle despite the chokehold on his throat. 

 

“I fucking hate you, you little shit,” he growled. 

 

“F-feeling’s mutua-agh!” Izaya gurgled, as Shizuo started to shake him violently back and forth. His legs dangled freely in the air for a moment before he started trying to kick the blond. 

 

“Put him down, Shizuo,” Kadota ordered, folding his arms across his chest. 

 

“He pulled a knife and slashed my damn face!”

 

Despite his protest, Shizuo released his grip on the other boy’s neck and let him collapse to the floor in a heap. Izaya coughed and drew much-needed air into his lungs as he clambered onto his feet. 

 

“Stupid monster,” he scowled, rubbing his sore neck. There were bruises already blossoming around the base of his throat where Shizuo had held him so tightly. He reached into his pocket and fished out another knife. With a grin, he raised the weapon but it was quickly slapped out of his hand by the bespectacled boy who was crossing the room. 

 

“Let’s go to the beach,” Shinra said. He shrugged his backpack over his shoulder and began dragging Izaya toward the door. “Stop being boring.”

 

Izaya allowed his friend to pull him out of the room, rolling his eyes as the boy started to ramble on as he usually did. “Yes, alright!”

 

He made sure to shoot Shizuo one final glare before he was dragged out into the hall. The two men left in the room rolled their eyes at one another. Shinra was a very bouncy individual, they often had trouble keeping up with him. Shizuo couldn’t imagine how Celty put up with him. 

 

“Right, swim stuff, keycard, wallet, uhh,” Kadota listed, checking his rucksack. “Towel. That’s it I think?” 

 

“Yep,” Shizuo agreed, grabbing his own bag. He wiped the blood off his face with the back of his hand and shook his head. “What do you wanna cook later? You know they’re gonna make us do it, right?”

 

Kadota chuckled and headed toward the door with Shizuo close behind. “Yeah, lazy bastards. I don’t mind to be honest, something easy.”

 

“Curry would be easy.”

 

The blond locked the door behind them and they started to traipse after Shinra and Izaya. 

 

“Yeah, sounds good,” he agreed. He turned to look at Shizuo, who was placing a cigarette into his mouth. “Good job on not killing him, by the way. Izaya can be so tormenting.”

 

“Tell me about it,” Shizuo growled, lighting the smoke. He placed the lighter back in his pocket and took a deep drag. “He seems to reserve that charm just for me.”

 

“Izaya knows Shinra isn’t affected by anything, so he doesn’t bother taunting him. He’s never done it to me - well, apart from calling me Dotachin. But that doesn’t phase me that much,” Kadota said, shaking his head. “He seems to have a real infatuation with you. Try not to rise to it and he’ll probably get bored.”

 

The blond scowled and darkly muttered under his breath. “Stupid fucking flea.” 

  
  


-0-

  
  


They arrived at the beach far sooner than expected - in fact it was only a five minute walk to the shoreline. There was a number of vibrant bars along the coast and Shinra dragged them into the first one they saw. 

 

“C’mon dude, it's only three o’clock,” Kadota sighed. “I want to get in the water.” 

 

Shinra shot him an unusually dark glare. “This is the first holiday I've had as an adult. I. Want. A. Drink.”

 

Kadota raised his hands and smiled. “Sure, sure. You know you're fucking scary when you wanna be.” 

 

The boy laughed and the familiar goofy expression spread back over his face. He pointed back and forth between Izaya and Shizuo. “I'm scarier than both of these two combined!” 

 

“Amen to that,” Shizuo muttered, flicking his cigarette butt into a bin. “I could do with a beer to cool down but then I want to go in the sea.”

 

“I'll stay with you Shinra,” Izaya said, looping his arm around the bespectacled boy’s. “I don't fancy swimming today.”

 

“What, you afraid of the water?” Shizuo snorted. He noticed the way Izaya’s smirk dropped - it was just an inch but Shizuo knew that falter well. It always happened when he managed to annoy or surprise the flea. “Ah, I see. Can’t swim?”

 

“I can swim just fine, Shizu-chan,” the smaller man retorted, turning his nose up in the air. “C’mon Shinra, what do you want to drink?”

 

He stormed off toward the bar with his friend in tow, leaving Kadota and Shizuo standing on the patio looking out at the sea. Kyouhei groaned and ran a hand through his hair, as he always did when he was nervous. 

 

“Don’t.”

 

‘Don’t what?” Shizuo replied, teasingly, grinning from ear to ear. 

 

Kadota ran his hand down his face and fixed Shizuo with a stern glare. “Do  _ not  _ try and drown him.”

 

Shizuo chuckled and leaned forward for a second before he turned to walk into the bar. “Not my fault if he can’t swim.”

 

The four boys ordered drinks and moved to sit on the rooftop bar so that they could look at the ocean. Izaya seated himself beneath an umbrella, well aware of how easily he burned under the heat of the sun, while Shizuo made sure to sit dead under the heavy rays. The blond let out a satisfied groan and sunk lower in his seat, enjoying the dry heat of the afternoon. He took a swig of beer and reached for another cigarette - this was bliss. Or it would have been bliss had Izaya not been glowering at him from across the table. 

 

“What?” Shizuo hissed, lighting the cigarette. He took a short drag and glared back at the brunet with equal distaste. “What?”

 

“Do I need a reason to be disgusted by you, monster?” Izaya replied, coolly. In truth he was annoyed by how relaxed the blond could be in this unbearable heat - and how good he looked with the light shadowing his face. Then he was annoyed with himself for thinking about that ridiculous observation. “You’re chugging that beer like a pig.”

 

“Shut up, flea,” Shizuo growled, flicking ash toward the other boy. Instead of punching Izaya - which he really, really wanted to do - he rolled his head back and shut his eyes to enjoy the warmth on his face. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

 

Izaya scoffed and rolled his eyes. He picked up his drink - a gin and tonic - and took a sip. It was pleasantly cool, which was much appreciated by the overheating boy. Shinra chuckled lightly and placed the enormous, bright-pink cocktail he had been drinking back on the table. 

 

“Do you two ever stop?” he asked, removing his glasses so he could clean the lenses on his shirt. “You know you bicker so much that I wonder if this is like a boy pulling pigtails.”

 

“What d’you mean by that?” Shizuo asked, cracking open an eye. 

 

Kadota laughed and held his cold beer can against his forehead. “I  _ really  _ don’t think that’s the case, dude.”

 

“What’re you talking about?” the blond growled, sitting upright so he could tap his cigarette into the ash-tray. He opened his eyes and took a swig of his drink. When he caught Shinra’s suggestive eyebrow raise, the penny dropped. Shizuo spluttered and choked on the beer his mouth, spraying it across his lap. 

 

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Shizu-chan,” Izaya growled, jerking away from the table. “Are you  _ that  _ incapable of basic human functions?”

 

Shizuo glared viciously at Shinra, who was giggling loudly. Even Kadota was chuckling under his breath, though he hid his mouth behind his hand. 

 

“Are you fucking kidding me, Shinra?” he seethed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “I’d rather set myself on fire.”

 

“If you wait until we’re home, I’d gladly set you on fire instead,” Izaya sneered, folding his arms across his chest. 

 

The blond went to stand but was pulled back down by Kyouhei. “Calm down man. C’mon, let’s finish up here and then me and you will go swimming, kay?”

 

Shizuo nodded and swallowed the anger that had been threatening to burst. “Yeah, sounds good.”

 

“Hmm, I don’t fancy swimming today either,” Shinra said, turning his head to look at Izaya. “Shall we stay here?”

 

The boy nodded in response. “That’s fine by me.”

 

Shizuo and Kadota finished their drinks soon after and quickly left the bar to head across the road to the beach. The two remaining boys could see them from their position on the rooftop as the beach was only a few feet away from the patio. Izaya leaned his forearm against the railings and rested his head on his hand. The blond had stripped off his shirt and was charging toward the sea like a man possessed. He wrinkled his nose at the sight - stupid beast. 

 

“Here we go!” 

 

Izaya turned to see Shinra coming toward him, carrying a tray laden with an  _ absurd  _ amount of drinks. 

 

“What the hell?” he asked, blankly. “They can't possibly all be for you.” 

 

The other boy shook his head and grinned widely. “For  _ us, _ my dear Orihara. You see, this trip will be my last time as a single man. I fully intend to propose to Celty when we return so I'm treating this as a kind of-”

 

“No,” Izaya interrupted, waving his hands in front of him. “Absolutely not.”

 

“Why not?” Shinra exclaimed. “It'll be fun. It's not like we’re being supervised outside of dedicated tours.”

 

“Because-” he paused, unable to think of a good enough reason. Izaya knew he was terrible at handling liquor and Shinra was even  _ worse _ . “Because you're a mess when you drink.”

 

“A hot mess?” he teased, knocking back a shot. He winced slightly at the burn of the alcohol and let his tongue loll out of his mouth. “God, tequila is horrible, isn’t it?”

 

Izaya rolled his eyes but couldn’t help the fond smile from stretching across his face. “You’re such an idiot.”


	3. Blistered sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this! If you would like to read what happens in the future years of this fiction, please check out 'Blame'!

The ocean was beautiful, crystal-clear and cool enough to take the edge off the sweltering heat of the late afternoon. Shizuo swam for a little while until the salt began to burn his eyes. He headed back to the shore and laid down on the sand, close enough for the waves to break around his knees and slide gently under his back. With a happy sigh, he stretched his arms out wide and closed his eyes to allow the heat of the sun to warm his face. It was peaceful, the ferocious sun had driven most people inside so the beach was fairly empty. For a while the blond simply lay still, enjoying the gentle motion of the waves and the sound of the gulls cawing overhead. Without Izaya to ruin the moment, his mood lifted greatly. 

 

“Shizuo!” 

 

At the sound of his name, the blond opened his eyes and sat upright. Kadota was walking toward him, shaking the water from his hair. Shizuo raised a hand in greeting and clambered to his feet. 

 

“Hey Kyouhei,” he said, scraping the sand off his back. “Enjoy the water?”

 

The other boy nodded. “Fuck yeah, it’s gorgeous out here. What do you wanna do now?”

 

“I kinda fancy a drink,” Shizuo replied, jerking his head toward the bar. “You wanna come for a morning swim? It’d be great in the early hours when it’s a bit cooler.”

 

“Sounds good,” Kadota agreed. The two boys turned and began to head back up the beach to where they left their shirts. “We should get to the market before it shuts tonight, I’m getting a bit hungry.”

 

Shizuo nodded and pulled his shirt back over his arms, leaving it unbuttoned at the front. A scowl crossed his face as they re-entered the bar. “I hope that little shit doesn’t ruin my good mood.”

 

“Try not to let him get to you,” Kadota chuckled, leading the way up the stairs to the rooftop bar. “I’m sure that-”

 

“DOTACHIN!” 

 

The shrill sound of Shinra’s wail pierced the peace that both boys had found in the ocean. Shizuo grit his teeth together and Kadota visibly winced as they arrived at the rooftop bar. They did not expect the scene they found. The table was littered with empty shot glasses and bottles and a number of bags of crisps were placed on the floor around the chairs. Shinra was laying on the floor with one hand resting behind his head. The other held the stem of an absurdly large cocktail glass which was resting on his chest. The glass was half-filled with a creamy-looking drink that was topped with a mountain of whipped cream and syrup. One of his legs was raised and resting on Izaya’s thigh. The other boy was still sat in the same chair under the umbrella but was sufficiently more slumped than when they had last seen him. He was sucking on a curly straw which was stuck in a highball glass full of a bright pink liquid. His legs were propped up on another chair, crossed leisurely at the ankles. Both of them had flushed faces and a glaze to their eyes that could only mean one thing. 

 

“They’re fucking smashed,” Shizuo whispered to the boy at his side. 

 

“Jeez guys,” Kadota sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets as he moved toward the others. “How much have you had to drink?”

 

“A lot,” Shinra laughed, raising his glass up. “You gotta lot of catching up to do.”

 

For a moment, Kadota remained still as he debated what to do. Then he let out a short, breathy chuckle and moved over to the table where Izaya was sat. He picked up a full shot glass and gestured to Shinra, who let out a cheer. 

 

“Sure. I’m on holiday, why not?” he laughed. Swiftly, he knocked back the fiery liquid and hissed as it burned his throat. “Fuck, that’s nasty.”

 

“C’mon, Shizu-chan,” Izaya purred, turning his gaze to look at the blond. “Or are you incapable of handling yourself?”

 

Shizuo growled under his breath and stomped across the rooftop so that he could sit on the opposite side of the table to the boy taunting him. He held Izaya’s gaze as he slammed back four shots in a matter of seconds. The blond snickered as Izaya’s smile faltered slightly and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. 

 

“Fuck you, flea,” he said, grabbing a beer from the other side of the table. He took a sip to rid his mouth of the foul taste of tequila and searched in the pocket of his shirt for his cigarettes. Thankfully they were still dry, though there was a tiny bit of sand in the bottom of the box which he shook out onto the floor. “I could drink you under the table.”

 

Izaya cocked his head to one side, never one to refuse a challenge even if he knew he was likely to lose. “You wanna bet?”

 

Shizuo couldn’t help but grin back at the other boy. “You’re on, jackass.”

 

By the time the young men stumbled out of the bar, the sun was sliding below the horizon. They headed back toward their hotel as darkness fell, lurching a fair bit along the way. Kadota, as the most sober and responsible of the four of them, dashed into the supermarket before it shut so that he could pick up some instant noodles and crisps, food that would be easy to prepare and starchy enough to soak up some of the hangover. Izaya and Shizuo were the most inebriated by far, thanks to their competition of ‘who can sink the most shots in under a minute?’ and ‘how quickly can you chug a yard of beer?’. Shinra was away with the fairies, humming loudly to himself as he skipped merrily alongside Kadota. 

 

“Those two are going to smash the apartment to pieces when we get back,” Kyouhei sighed, glancing over his shoulder. Izaya has just jumped onto Shizuo’s shoulders and had his arms wound tightly around his neck as the blond tried aggressively to throw him off. Both their movements were sluggish and unsteadily and their faces were ruddy from the alcohol.

 

“You think?” Shinra giggled. He’d already opened one of the bags of crisps and was stuffing them into his mouth at a rapid speed. “I think they’re gonna make out.”

 

Kadota turned wide, incredulous eyes onto Shinra. “You sound like my other friends. Bloody otakus.”

 

“Seriously,” he slurred, throwing his free arm wide into the air. “Haven’t you noticed how obsessed they are with one another?”

 

“Well, yeah, but they despise each other.”

 

“Love and hate are but a kiss apart.”

 

Kadota rolled his eyes and pulled Shinra’s arm to keep him from veering off the pavement. “Whatever you say, drunkard.”

 

Behind them Shizuo and Izaya were still trying their best to beat each other up which, considering their inebriated state, was not going well. 

 

“Get offa me, you damn louse!” Shizuo roared, clawing blindly behind him to try and get a firm grip on the boy squeezing his throat in a chokehold. Even in his drunk state, the flash of metal next to his cheek made him panic. “Kyouhei!”

 

“What?” Kadota replied, turning round to face the approaching blond. He frowned and rushed forward so he could grab ahold of Izaya’s wrist before he could bury his pocketknife into Shizuo’s neck. “Dude! What the fuck? Stop it!”

 

Izaya glowered at him and dropped the knife just before Shizuo wrenched him over his head and threw him roughly onto the ground. The blond raised his foot aa if to kick the smaller man but Kadota quickly pushed him backward and stepped between the two of them. 

 

“Guys, quit it,” he grunted, thoroughly tired of their constant fighting. “C’mon let’s just get home.”

 

-0-

 

By the time they arrived back at the hotel, Shizuo and Izaya were nearly dead on their feet. They both seemed too tired to continue fighting, so Kyouhei pushed them into their room and shut the door behind them, mainly to keep them from wrecking the main area if they did decide to start throwing more punches. He and Shinra retired to their room sometime later, after the latter had his fill of instant noodles. The two warring young men  maintained some sort of silent truce at first, too drunk and exhausted to fight any further. Izaya collapsed onto the bed closest to the door, face first into the pillows, while Shizuo moved to the french windows at the end of the room.

 

It was a humid evening, the kind of weather that made one’s skin slick with sweat and kept sleep at bay. Shizuo opened the doors with a sigh, satisfied with the cool breeze rolling off the sea. He searched his pockets for his cigarettes and sparked one of them into life using the Zippo Kasuka had bought him for his birthday last year. It was a fancy piece of equipment, bright silver with his name engraved on the side, and he treasured it greatly. He took a seat at the small table on the balcony and looked out into the night, closing his eyes to fully enjoy the sounds of the sea and to stop his head from spinning so much. The tobacco helped sober him up a little, as did the fresh air, and soon he felt the familiar sense of being watched creeping up his spine. When he turned around he saw that Izaya was standing close behind him, just on the threshold between the balcony and the bedroom. His face was flushed and he was leaning heavily against the doorframe but his eyes were as sharp and cunning as ever. 

 

“Can I have a cigarette?” he asked, holding out a hand. 

 

Shizuo raised a brow and let out a plume of smoke from between his lips. Izaya watched him closely, eyes narrowing at the curl of the vapour as it was sucked back up his nostrils. “You hate smoking, don’t you?”

 

“Yeah, but I want one anyway.”

 

“Fine, but sit down,” Shizuo sighed, gesturing to the seat beside him. It was too late to kick the brunet’s ass - hell, he was too tired to even argue with him. He threw the box onto the table as Izaya dropped into the chair. “Just one. I ain’t sharing more than that with you.”

 

Izaya nodded quietly and slid one of the tube from the packet. He jammed it clumsily in his mouth and his gaze flicked down to the table, searching for something else. “Light?”

 

“Lean forward,” Shizuo grunted. The other man frowned and raised a brow in question. “Nothin’ weird, asshole. I just don’t trust you with my lighter.”

 

With a roll of his eyes, Izaya leaned forward as instructed and Shizuo raised the sparked flame to the end of the cigarette. He reclined in his seat and took in a long drag of smoke before lowering his hand. A thoughtful look rose on his face and he rolled his head to the side so he could look at Shizuo. 

 

“Why do you hate me?” he asked, quietly. 

 

The blond blinked, a little surprised by the question. “What the fuck’s that ‘sposed to mean?”

 

“You hate me, right?”

 

“Yeah,” Shizuo scoffed. Izaya wrinkled his nose at the taste of the cigarette and flicked the still-burning tube over the balcony. “Oi, that’s a waste.”

 

“Why?” Izaya repeated, his dark eyes lifting to meet Shizuo’s. “I could never work you out. Is there a reason that you dislike me?”

 

Shizuo opened his mouth and closed it again, mind deliberating over what to say. Why did he hate the flea? His thoughts drifted back to their first meeting, to that day on the baseball pitch, to their fight. “You tried to stab me when we first met. That’s good enough reason t-”

 

“You threw the first punch,” Izaya reminded him. “I had to protect myself, didn’t I?”

 

“I might have started the fight physically,” Shizuo replied, angrily. “But you provoked me.”

 

Izaya laughed. The sound was different from his usual maniacal giggle, it was nastier, more direct. “It’s not my fault you can’t control your temper, is it?”

 

The blond couldn’t deny that, so he stayed silent and clutched the arm of his chair with his free hand. After a final drag, he stabbed his smoke into the ashtray on the table. “I dunno why I don’t like you. I just don’t. I fuckin’ hate you.”

 

“Is that so?” Izaya answered, leaning back in his seat so that he could look up at the sky. “Well, you’ll be pleased to hear that the feeling is mutual. But it does make me wonder why I’m so interested in you. After all, you’re nothing but a useless, worthless monster, isn’t that right Shizu-chan?”

 

Shizuo jerked up out of his seat and reached across the space between them so that he could curl his fist into the front of Izaya’s shirt. The cloth was wet from their exuberant drinking competition and when he dragged Izaya closer, right up close to his face, he could smell the alcohol on his breath. It was due to the same reason that his own depth perception was skewed and the brunet ended up far closer to his face that he intended. The proximity startled him and he ended up shoving Izaya quickly away. As usual he ended up applying a little too much strength and the smaller man stumbled backward and his back hit the metal railing of the balcony. Time seemed to slow down and Shizuo watched as Izaya’s eyes widened, his spine twisted and soon his torso had tipped backward over the railing. If it had been any other day, any other fight, Izaya would have steadied himself, he would have gripped the bars before he fell but due to his inebriated state his reflexes were dull and sluggish. 

 

“Fuck!” Shizuo exclaimed. He rushed forward and caught ahold of Izaya’s belt just before he completely tipped over, saving him from falling a number of stories to the ground. His heart raced, blood pounding in his ears. Izaya could have  _ died  _ if he hadn’t caught him and- and for some reason that he couldn’t explain, he didn’t want him to fall. “Fucking hell, don’t do that.”

 

Izaya hissed as Shizuo dragged him back up over the railings, kicking his legs when he became aware of how close the hand on the belt was to his groin. “Get off! I wouldn’t have tripped if you hadn’t of pushed me!”

 

The blond rolled his eyes and set Izaya down on the floor, heaving a sigh of relief. Almost as soon as he moved back, Izaya was darting forward with a knife in his hand. Shizuo swerved to the left and ducked behind him as he approached, one hand sliding around Izaya’s wrist so that he could wrench his arm behind his back. The brunet grunted in pain and dropped the knife as Shizuo pushed him into the bedroom and rammed a knee into the base of his spine so that he was forced face-first onto the bed. 

 

“Will you quit it?” Shizuo complained, exasperated more than angry at this point. He was tired and the beginning of a hangover was already brewing behind his temples. “I just wanna go to bed, okay?” 

 

“Fine, fine! Just get off!” Izaya snarled, thrashing against the sheets. 

 

Shizuo shook his head and twisted the other man’s arms a little further. “Fuck you. Promise you won’t stab me while I sleep.”

 

“As if I’d promise such a thing to a beast like you,” Izaya retorted.

 

“Oi!”

 

The two young men didn’t sleep that night and by the time Kadota and Shinra rose from their slumber, the living room was wrecked, Shizuo was bleeding from four different gashes on his chest and Izaya was stood on the other side of the room holding a broken bottle extended in front of him. 

  
  
  



	4. Let's play William Tell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long wait. I'll update Masterpiece next, then Blame, then Viewpoint. Got lots going on at the moment so apologies for the delay. :) 
> 
> Next chapter will be the camping trip/the development.

By the time Shizuo was bandaged up and they’d found the ice machine so Izaya could compress his black eye and swollen, busted lip, they’d missed the tour of Ryukyu Mura that had been arranged for them. It wasn’t too much of a problem, it seemed that a number of students decided against going - some desired to explore other areas and some had hangovers so tragic that they couldn’t open the curtains that morning. If anything the young men were glad they could turn around and head back into Onna Village, their muggy heads and growling stomachs desired greasy food more than cultural and historical education. Shinra insisted on trying out a place he remembered from his last visit, a takoraisu eatery called Kijimura, a small but pleasant place situated on the seafront. 

 

“Shall we sit on the roof terrace?” Kadota asked, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. 

 

Izaya turned around and gave him a look of pure disgust. “In this heat, Dotachin? I’d rather die.”

 

“Let’s sit on the roof terrace,” Shizuo stated, shooting the brunet a hateful glare. Izaya seethed back at him and his hand moved to his pocket but before they could start making a scene, Shinra marched between them and took a seat at a table in the corner of the room. He wailed loudly and dropped his head onto the table so that he could wrap his arms around it. The other three looked at him, then at each other and sighed. 

 

“And you say we can’t handle our drink,” Izaya smirked, as they moved over to the table. He took a seat next to Shinra and patted him condescendingly on the back. “Poor baby. What would Celty think?”

 

Kadota rolled his eyes. “You can’t handle your drink.”

 

“Thanks  _ Dad _ ,” Shizuo snorted. He dragged a menu across the table so he could take a look at it but he only held it for a second before Izaya snatched it lightly out of his fingers. “Oi-”

 

“Mmm, this all looks great,” Izaya interrupted, ignoring the blond across the table who had turned a violent shade of scarlet. “I think I’ll get the super spicy taco rice.”

 

“Iz-a-” Shizuo paused when a waitress appeared at the side of the table. Instantly, he flushed and tipped his head down, trying to control his anger before it got the better of him. SIlently, he held his hand out for the menu Kyouhei was holding and pretended to be engrossed in the list of dishes rather than looking at the smug, satisfied smile Izaya was giving him. They ordered food and water, thanking the waitress as she took the menu’s away.

 

Shinra jerked upright just as she was turning to leave and blurted out an extra order. “Oh! And one of those huge jugs with all the upside-down beer bottles! Extra lime!”

 

The waitress chuckled and turned away to process their order, just as Shinra dropped his head back onto the table. Izaya elbowed the bespectacled boy in the ribs, forcing him to jerk upright again. 

 

“What the hell did you order alcohol for, you maniac?” he scolded, prodding the other boy’s chest with his forefinger. 

 

“Ow! Ow! Stop it!” Shinra complained, batting Izaya’s hand away. He sighed and readjusted his glasses, peering at the two boys across the table with a mischievous look in his eye. “I’ve always heard hair of the dog is the best medicine for a hangover.”

 

Shizuo shook his head in disbelief. “Who’d you hear that shit from? Your mad Father? You guys are two peas in a pod, y’know.”

 

“Uh, well, I-” Shinra flushed pink and nodded sheepishly. He wasn’t going to deny that his Father was walking the very thin line between genius and insanity. The boy often wondered whether or not that influence had affected him too much growing up, after all, Shinra wasn’t exactly known for his stability. It wasn’t that he didn’t respect and love Shingen, nor that the feeling wasn’t mutual, but he’d always wondered if he’d end up consumed by sick interests like his Father was, if he’d be lonely, if he’d go mad. It bothered him, so he never lingered on the thought for too long, he just repeated ‘ _ you are not your Father. You have Celty, you are not your Father’  _ over and over in his head until he’d somewhat convinced himself. For a moment he became lost in thought and he opened and shut his mouth like a fish. Izaya observed the other boy silently, taking note of the discomfort on his face and the way his eyes were darting nervously around the room. 

 

“I think it’s a good idea,” Izaya butted in. He turned his head to look at Shinra and grinned. It wasn’t a good idea, it was a ridiculous idea, but Shinra was one of the few people in his life that he genuinely cared about and far be it from him to let the boy flounder alone. Even if Shinra proclaimed on multiple occasions that Izaya ‘ _ didn’t have a single ounce of goodness in him’,  _ he’d taken a knife to the gut for him once and that had to count for something. Izaya wasn’t a nice person, he’d be the first to admit that, but Shinra was someone special and he deserved the minute amount of  _ nice  _ that he had available to offer. The other boy smiled softly at Izaya and nodded in silent thanks. 

 

Kadota ran a hand through his hair and groaned for a couple of seconds before slamming a fist into the palm of his other hand. “Fuck it, fine. But I’m not doing shots before I’ve eaten.”

 

The blond sighed and nodded at Shinra, resigning himself to another afternoon of poisoning himself with liquor. “Whatever. I need more cigarettes though.”

 

The bespectacled boy clapped his hands together and grinned toothily at his friends. “I told you this would be like a stag holiday, didn’t I?”

 

“Where are we gonna go?” Shizuo asked. He rooted in his pocket for his nearly-empty box of cigarettes and scowled as he noticed he only had one left. Accusingly, he pointed the open box at Izaya. “You owe me a box, fleabag. You wasted some last night.”

 

Izaya sneered at him and folded his arms across his chest. “As if. I only had one.”

 

“How about we go to the top of the cliffs with some drinks and food and camp out? It’s warm as hell so I think we’ll only need sleeping bags,” Kadota suggested.

 

Shizuo grinned and nodded as he slipped his last cigarette into his mouth. “That’s a great idea.”

 

“We could take an instant barbeque, we could star-gaze!” Shinra exclaimed, clearly on board with the idea. “I bet the view is amazing from up there.”

 

“I wonder if Shizu-chan would die from a drop like that?” Izaya pondered, turning his gaze back to the blond. 

 

He returned the look with a vicious grin. “You want me to throw you in the ocean, you little shit?”

 

The waitress arrived with their water and an absurdly large glass which was filled with beer. Another four full bottles were pushed into the liquid, so as more was drunk from the glass, it would refill from the bottles. Shinra laughed as she stuck four curly straws into the abomination and thanked her profusely. Kadota breathed a sigh of relief when the tense atmosphere was diffused by Shinra’s enthusiasm and the warring boys relaxed a little into their seats. 

 

“I’d get behind a barbeque. I’m pretty nifty with a spatula,” Kyouhei chuckled, leaning his elbow on the table so he can rest his chin on his knuckles. “Although thinking about it, it’s probably a long hike up there. It’s already three o’clock - perhaps we should get up earlier go tomorrow instead?”

 

Izaya nodded in agreement. “You’re always so sensible, Dotachin.”

 

“Stop calling me that,” he sighed, looking pointedly at the smirking boy across the table. “Between you, the lovesick surgeon and the Incredible Hulk over there, someone’s gotta have their shit together.”

 

“Who you callin’ the Incredible Hulk?” Shizuo growled, tapping his cigarette out into the ashtray. “Jackass.”

 

“I didn’t even get a nickname,” Izaya pouted, dragging one of the curly straws over to his mouth. “You should feel lucky.”

 

-0- 

  
  


Kadota sank down into his seat and leaned his head back onto the railing behind him, closing his eyes as the sea breeze rolled over his face. It was eight thirty and the sun was low in the sky which made the heat more bearable. They’d come back to their room after eating, to relax and stay out of the intense burn of the afternoon sun. Shizuo was sat around the coffee table in the main room with Shinra, who was trying to teach him how to play chess. The blond seemed engrossed by the game and Shinra was more than happy to patiently teach him the rules and how each piece worked. Shizuo himself would be the first to admit he wasn’t the brightest spark but he liked to learn and listened intently even when he didn’t really understand things. 

 

Kadota and Izaya were sat on the balcony outside of the bedroom. The former was reading a manga that his friends had lent him - it was an interesting piece set in the Edo period about a leader who was part yokai. Erika had always been good at recommending titles she knew he would enjoy, although on the odd occasion she would try and slip in a self-published BL strip. If he were of a more sensitive disposition he might be annoyed, but Kadota had a chilled out personality so he just found himself amused by his friend’s eccentricities. Izaya was lounging, low in his chair, with his feet resting on top of Kadota’s thigh. He was absorbed in a thick hard-back, some English title that Kadota didn’t know. 

 

“That good?” Kyouhei asked, placing the manga down onto the table between them. He picked up his beer and held the cold glass to his forehead in an attempt to cool down. 

 

Izaya hummed and marked his page before looking up at the other boy. “Dense, but very good.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“It’s called Paradise Lost,” he answered, placing the book next to Kadota’s on the table. “An epic poem by an English writer called John Milton.”

 

Kadota raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Are you reading it in English?”

 

“Yeah. It’s slow going as there’s a lot of details that I need to go and look up,” Izaya explained, lacing his hands together over his stomach. “I think it’s important to learn as many languages as I can. That way I can talk to more people.”

 

“Brainbox,” Kadota chuckled. He took a sip of beer and sighed contentedly. “It’s nice to come away like this and spend time together.”

 

Izaya laughed lightly and looked out over the sea. “Aside from the obvious  _ problem,  _ I must admit I’m having fun.”

 

“You two should learn to get along,” Kadota rolled his eyes and set his beer back on the table. “I don’t actually know what started this weird war between you guys.”

 

The brunet frowned and raised one of his feet so he can smack his heel playfully against the other’s leg. “Don’t be so stupid, me and Shizu-chan are never going to get along. There’s no real reason behind how we feel about one another, I think we were born hating one another.”

 

“No-one’s born hating anyone,” he countered, brows furrowing in the centre of his forehead. “You have to learn how to hate.”

 

Izaya stared at the other boy as he picked up the manga and began to read again. For all his proclamations about loving humans, he didn’t have the insight into thoughts and feelings like Kadota did. He tried to immerse himself in them but part of him always felt apart from the crowd. They were separate, different - hence why he conducted his puppet-master games, to see how humans reacted to different situations and stimuli. Nothing was more fascinating to him. But even as he learned how to lie, how to manipulate and predict behaviour, he never really understood it himself. Izaya’s emotions had little range, he was either pissed off, amused or manic, there was rarely anything in between. Kadota, on the other hand, seemed to actually  _ understand  _ what people were feeling and why. It was a real talent - Izaya couldn’t understand why he didn’t use it to his advantage. 

 

“Whatever,” he sighed, waving a hand at Kyouhei. “I just don’t like him. He’s a vicious brute.”

 

Kadota snorted and looked up from the page he was reading. “Bit rich coming from you, don’t you think?”

 

“You wound me, Dotachin,” he gasped, feigning insult. A lazy smile spread across his face. “I’m the pinnacle of a good citizen.”

 

“You run four illegal gambling clubs, got your best mate stabbed, schmooze with Yakuza-”

 

“I do not  _ schmooze _ , I network.”

 

“- and you’ve destroyed more city property than Godzilla.”

 

Izaya laughed highly and jerked his thumb over his shoulder to where Shizuo and Shinra were playing chess. “You can blame Shizu-chan for that, not me.” 

 

The blond must have heard the snide comment as his booming voice came from inside. “What the fuck are you saying about me, flea?”

 

“Nothing, darling!” Izaya called back. Kadota gave him a look and he returned a smirk as the sound of stomping footsteps grew closer to them. 

 

Shizuo poked his head out of the door and bore his teeth at the smaller boy. “Say that again,  _ baby _ .”

 

Izaya’s smirk dropped and his eyes narrowed at the false term of endearment. There was a moment of stillness, then the swish of metal and the quiet scene exploded. Shizuo lunged forward just as Izaya leapt across the table and they both ended up in a heap on the floor of the balcony. The blond grabbed ahold of the other’s neck just as Izaya pushed his knife against his throat and they both hesitated, wary of the threat that could kill them. Kadota shook his head and turned back to his manga, unwilling to get involved this time. Their fights were tiring, sometimes it was better to let them wear themselves out than try and stop them. He’d been collateral too many times - once at the end of Shizuo’s fist, which had broken a couple of ribs. There was still a visible scar across his shoulder where he’d been clipped by the swing of Izaya’s blade. Sometimes Kyouhei wondered why he remained friends with them, why he didn’t keep his distance like everyone else at their school. 

 

Shizuo was a loner by his own design. He’d adopted the ‘delinquent’ persona, dyed his hair,  he intentionally made himself unapproachable but Kadota saw a different side to him. He was fiercely protective of those he cared about, funny and downright sweet at times. His respect for the blond was cemented when he went off on a guy who’d been making fun of Erika and Walker for their interests. ‘ _ At least they have interests, asshole. What’re yours? Pickin’ on younger kids to try and make yourself feel better? Well - you wanna know what my interests are? Huh? Do you?’ _ . The guy had taken off running before Shizuo had even stood up. Despite his violence and the aura of menace that he radiated, he tried to be a good guy and Kadota could respect that. No-one’s perfect. 

 

Izaya was a completely different kettle of fish. He wasn’t a loner in the same respect, in fact he was usually surrounded by gaggles of people who seemed utterly devoted to him. There was something about him that made people want to listen, to be around him and they would do anything to remain at his side. Kadota knew Izaya was charming but he’d never quite understood the way they worshipped him. Despite the crowd around him, he was still alone. There was a removed look in his eyes when he spoke to most people, as if he were calculating how he should be acting. That was it, Kadota thought to himself, Izaya never stopped acting. There was only one moment where he thought he’d seen Izaya’s mask drop and that was during his first fight with Shizuo. The smirk he usually wore disappeared, just for a second, and his eyes filled with fascination. Sure, Shizuo’s strength was quite the sight but there was something different about the way Izaya had looked at him. It was greedy. There were parts of the brunet that Kyouhei really liked - he was intelligent and at times he could be easy to talk to. 

 

They were opposite - Izaya was purposefully popular, Shizuo was purposefully not - but they were also so similar, lonely and uninterested and obsessed with one another. 

 

“Guys!” 

 

Shinra’s voice pierced Kadota’s thoughts and he turned his head to glance at the scene behind him. They were in the same position as before, both stuck in glaring stalemate as the bespectacled boy fretted over them, trying to pull them apart. 

 

“Just leave them, Shinra,” Kyouhei called, getting to his feet. He tucked his book under his arm and stepped over Izaya’s back so that he could go back inside. “C’mon, let’s go out somewhere and get drunk. I wanna look at pretty girls in sundresses and enjoy my holiday.” 

  
  



	5. Give a little, take a lot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, this was fun to write. I hope it wasn't too out of character, it's quite hard to imagine what they would be like in these scenarios! The next scene will be inside the bar/club and the things they get up to. Some violence and Izaya gambling, so be warned!

By the time they’d finished fighting, their clothes were shredded and stretched, Shizuo was bleeding in multiple places and Izaya’s body was marred by a number of blossoming bruises. Normally they would have fought until someone stopped them but the alcohol made them sluggish and eventually they both stepped back and stood on opposite sides of the living room. It was only then that they noticed Kadota and Shinra were missing. 

 

“I can’t believe they left us here!” Izaya exclaimed, moving into the bedroom to search for his mobile. He let out a disgusted huff when he caught sight of himself in the mirror above their beds. Blues and purples stained his arms and throat and his t-shirt had been ripped down the centre, ruining it. “Ugh, stupid monster.”

 

“What you say, flea?” Shizuo grumbled, as he entered the room behind him. He made his way over to the balcony, opening a new packet of cigarettes. “You know I can hear you.”

 

Izaya ignored him and began stripping off his spoiled t-shirt so that he could get a better look at the damage to his torso. He twisted so that he could see his shoulders and made a face at the bruises across one of the blades. Shizuo glanced across the room at the other boy as he sat down on the balcony chair. Izaya was so fragile looking, he bruised so easily that Shizuo wondered whether he might be anemic. The sickly pallor of his skin would lend to that, as would the boy’s general irritability and hollow, tired eyes. Underestimating Izaya Orihara based entirely on appearance was dangerous,  _ he  _ was dangerous. Despite his slender frame, Shizuo could see well-trained muscles stretching beneath his skin. There were a number of scars running across his stomach and a few more on his arms, signs that he wasn’t as fragile as first glance might assume. The blond placed a cigarette into his mouth and lit it with a swift click of his lighter, still staring at Izaya from the balcony. The smaller boy was laying his hands over one side of his chest, wincing as he pressed over certain bruises as he checked for any broken ribs. It was a strange experience to see Izaya like that, neither of them had ever witnessed the aftermath of their fights, nor had they even considered how the other might be affected. 

 

Izaya was clearly used to assessing the damage left by Shizuo’s fists, his actions were methodical and organised, like he’d done them before. The blond furrowed his brow and took another drag of the cigarette between his lips. He was pretty bloody from the many thin cuts laid down by the other boy’s flick-blade but there wasn’t any real damage to his body, mainly to his clothes. He told himself not to feel bad about causing that much damage to Izaya, the little shit deserved it - didn’t he? The settled peace between them was out-of-place, Shizuo found he was jittery and annoyed, as if expecting Izaya to come at him with a knife again. But he didn’t, he just quietly tended to his wounds while Shizuo smoked cigarette after nervous cigarette, unable to tear his eyes away from his foe’s torso. 

 

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” Izaya called, turning his head to glare at him. 

 

“Fuck you, asshole,” Shizuo snapped. His cheeks burned with heat and he turned his gaze down to the floor, much to the other boy’s amusement. 

 

Izaya grinned and leaned across his bed to snatch a new shirt out of his suitcase. “Such a tease, Shizu-chan.”

 

“I am not a f-” Shizuo paused when his phone started beeping in his pocket. He held his cigarette in his mouth and rummaged through his trousers until he found the device. “It’s Kyouhei.”

 

The smaller boy nodded and turned back to the mirror so that he could examine the grazes on his face as Shizuo picked up the call and started speaking to their friend. He tuned out the sound of the blond’s voice and began dabbing at the bloody split on his forehead with a clean tissue from his bag. Thankfully none of his bones were damaged, though he was rather bruised and sore. His right shoulder was the most painful, since Shizuo had wrenched his arm behind his back at an excruciating angle. Shinra would need to take a look at it later, he could bear with the discomfort for a while. He peered back up at his reflection and pursed his lips in annoyance. Izaya rarely questioned why he did the things he did, but every now and then he debated why he couldn’t control himself around Shizuo. They hated one another, they shouted that at the top of their lungs almost every day - so why couldn’t they simply keep their distance? He had thought on that question many times before and always came to the same conclusion due to the way his heart raced during their chases and that ever-present excitement excitement behind the anger in Shizuo’s eyes - they _ enjoyed  _ their fights. He couldn’t come to any other conclusion, simply saying it was due to hatred wasn’t enough anymore. 

 

“Oi, flea!” 

 

Izaya turned and raised a brow at the other boy, who was coming back into the bedroom with a cigarette still hanging out of his mouth. He scrunched up the bloody tissue in his hand and dropped it onto his bed. “What now?”

 

The blond stared at the tissue and wrinkled his nose in disgust before looking back up at Izaya. “Get dressed, Kyouhei said somethin’ nice, smart. Apparently they went out, Shinra’s drunk-dancing and Kyouhei was half-talking to me, half shoving his tongue down some girl’s throat.”

 

The brunet’s eyes widened and a dark smirk spread across his face. “Interesting.”

 

“Ugh, I hate wearing smart shit,” Shizuo moaned, dropping down onto his bed. He ran a hand through his hair and stared at the ceiling, listening to Izaya rummaging through his bag. “Might just go like this.”

 

Izaya snorted and stood up, towering over the laid down blond. He smirked and threw a piece of material onto his chest. “If I have to stand near you, at least try not to look like a fucking mess, Shizu-chan.”

 

Shizuo spluttered and jerked upright as Izaya turned away from him again, laughing merrily. He grabbed hold of the thing he’d thrown at him and frowned when he saw it was a necktie. “What’s this for?”

 

“I presume you don’t own a tie,” he smirked, crouching down so that he could search thoroughly through his suitcase. “So you can use that one. I don’t like it anyway.”

 

“I don’t wear ties,” Shizuo answered, stubbornly. Izaya shot him a condescending glare across his shoulder and he felt his face flush with heat again. He didn’t know how to tie the piece of material but there was no way in hell he’d tell Izaya that, so he let out a huff and stomped toward the bathroom. “I need a shower. You made me all bloody.”

 

Izaya rolled his eyes at Shizuo’s back as he pulled out all the items that made up a black suit he’d recently purchased from an up-market tailors in Shinjuku. It was an expensive, well-cut suit but he didn’t get to wear it that often so he was secretly quite pleased to get some use out of it. The last time he’d worn it was during a meeting he’d had with a potential client, an Executive from the Awakusu-kai, and that was months ago. He started dressing himself, checking the door to make sure Shizuo was still in the shower as he changed his boxers. The atmosphere between them was as sour as ever but Izaya found that when they weren’t trying to kill one another, Shizuo was actually rather amusing to be around. His surliness made for excellent teasing, at least. His fingers shook slightly as he buttoned his dress trousers, thinking about the heavy weight of the other boy’s stare when he was checking his bruises. Nonsense, he told himself, the monster was probably just admiring his handiwork, nothing more. 

 

The blond re-entered the room just as Izaya was buttoning his shirt. He must have taken his clothes with him, for he was already wearing a pair of navy trousers and a creased white shirt hung open around his chest. In one hand he had a towel, which he was rubbing over his head, and the tie in the other. And still, he was smoking. Izaya kept his eyes focused on the mirror as he finished up with his shirt and pulled on his jacket. He’d never picture Shizuo in anything other than his usual scruffy uniform and he was surprised by how well he could pull off something smarter. He smirked back at his reflection - still not as good as he looked, though. 

 

“Oi, flea,” the blond called. He simultaneously flicked his cigarette out over the balcony and threw the towel over a chair. “If I have to wear this thing you’re gonna need to show me how to tie it.”

 

Izaya raised a brow as he straightened the cuffs of his jacket. “You don’t know how to tie a Windsor knot? Well, I suppose it’s to be expected of a moron like you.”

 

Shizuo scowled and held the tie loosely between his hands, then pulled it taut. “I can just break it, if you prefer?”

 

“Alright, alright. But don’t say I never did anything nice for you,” he said, flapping a hand carelessly at the other boy. 

 

“I’m only doin’ this and not beating the shit outta you right now because I feel bad about messing things up for Shinra and Kyouhei,” Shizuo sighed, running a hand through his damp hair. It feel back onto his forehead messily, brushing his eyebrows. “This was meant to be a fun trip an’ we keep ruining shit.”

 

For a moment the two enemies just stared at one another, waiting to see who would make the next move. With a sigh, Izaya pulled another tie from his trouser pocket and wound it around his neck. “Follow what I do.”

 

Shizuo stood opposite him and matched the way Izaya was holding his tie. “Sure.”

 

“If you need me to slow down and make it simpler for your small brain, let me know.” 

 

“You’re a real piece of shit, you know that?”

 

The brunet smirked and began winding the strips of material slowly around one another, glancing up at Shizuo’s hands to make sure he was following along. As predicted, the blond was utterly useless and soon got confused with the reverse actions until the knot was a confused mess in his hands. Izaya sighed and grabbed hold of one of the end, batting Shizuo’s hands away. 

 

“Just let me do it, you idiot,” he snapped. He jerked the tie down so that Shizuo was pulled to his height and began unwrapping the mess he’d made. “How have you never learned to do up a tie before?”

 

Shizuo leaned down awkwardly, extremely aware of how close Izaya’s hand were to his throat. He let out an aggravated breath and tried to calm himself, a little disturbed by the way his heartbeat didn’t seem to slow and his stomach twisted nervously. “I uh, I’ve never been to a fancy event or anything like that. Or I’d just get a clip on, or Kasuka would do it for me.”

 

“Well, you should learn to do it yourself and stop relying on others,” Izaya murmured. His eyes were fixed on the task at hand, his fingers expertly winding the silky material together to form a neat knot. As he slid the tie up, he glanced up at Shizuo and felt a pang in his stomach when he noted the dark blush on his face. He would have taunted him, were he not so shocked by the way his palms began to sweat. Quickly, he pushed the knot into place and stepped back, releasing the longer end of the material. “There, better.”

 

“How did you learn to do a tie?” Shizuo asked, loosening the tight fabric a little. He felt awkward in attire like this, he wished he had a jacket like Izaya’s to cover his lanky frame better. 

 

“I read it in a book when I was little,” Izaya answered. He turned back to the mirror and smoothed down his hair, making sure nothing was out of place. 

 

Shizuo frowned. “Didn’t someone else teach you?”

 

Izaya gave him a sideways glance and pursed his lips in annoyance. “Unlike you, Shizu-chan, I don’t need people to tell me what to do at every step. I’m capable of doing everything myself.”

 

“Then you’ll be  _ capable  _ of going and fucking yourself, right?”

 

“Har, har,” he smirked, turning back to look at the blond, who was fidgeting with the sleeves of his shirt. “Very witty. If you get me a drink I’ll show you how to do a bow-tie as well.”

 

“As if I’ll ever wear a fucking bow-tie,” Shizuo unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled them up to his elbow, already annoyed by the stiffness of the material. “Can we go already? I need a drink.”

 

The brunet nodded and slipped his wallet and flick knife into the inner pockets of his jacket. Shizuo gave him a look, which he returned with an equally withering stare. He stepped past the blond into the living room but swiftly turned and glared up at him with a petulant look on his face. “This doesn’t mean I’m going soft, Shizu-chan. I still despise you, you stupid monster.”

 

“Feeling’s mutual,” Shizuo growled, shoving past Izaya so roughly that the smaller boy crashed hard into the doorframe. 

 

Silent and seething, they both headed for the door, leaving the partially destroyed hotel room in the darkness behind them. 

 

-0- 

 

“Why did they go to a fuckin’ nightclub?” Shizuo growled, looking down at his phone. “I thought they were at a bar or somethin’.”

 

Izaya wrinkled his nose in disgust as he eyed the device. It was an old Nokia, more like a brick than a phone, far from the slick touchscreen that was in his pocket. “I still can’t believe  _ that’s  _ your phone.”

 

The blond shot him a glare and tucked it back into his pocket. “It makes calls and receives text messages, what more do I need a phone to do?”

 

“Such a caveman,” Izaya tutted, rolling his eyes. “Where is this place anyway? I can’t believe they left us to go clubbing.”

 

“Not too far, two streets over is what Shinra said. Some place called Saicolo,” Shizuo grumbled. He glanced sideways at Izaya to see that the boy had pulled a pack of cards out of his pocket. After their earlier fight, Shizuo can’t be bothered with another, he just wanted to enjoy his time out and stay as far away from Izaya as possible. “Hey, flea.”

 

“What, Shizu-chan?”

 

“Can you not piss me off tonight?” he grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. Izaya turned to look at him with an incredulous expression on his face. “I mean it. I wanna have fun this evening, so can we have a fuckin’ truce for once?”

 

Izaya blinked, as if he couldn’t believe what he heard. After a moment, he sighed dramatically and waved a hand in the air. “Whatever, I’m sure I can manage one night of ignoring you. As long as you don’t have too much ‘fun’ and bring anyone back to the room later. Ugh, even the thought is making me queasy.”

 

The blond snorted derisively at the comment and shook his head. “You don’t have to worry about that.”

 

“Not such a hit with the ladies, Shizu-chan?” Izaya teased. He opened the pack of cards from his pocket and began to shuffle them deftly between his hands. “I'm not surprised.”

 

“Just ‘cos I’m not a smarmy pretty boy like you,” Shizuo growled, wrinkling his nose in disgust. “I do just fine.” 

 

What he’s said only hit him when Izaya repeated it. “You think I'm  _ pretty _ ?”

 

The blond halted abruptly and flushed as Izaya span on his heel to look at him, eyebrows raised. “That's- that’s not what I meant.” 

 

“Flattered, really. But I'm not into monsters,” he said, smoothly. The pack of cards he’d been playing with disappeared back into his pocket and he fished out his phone to try and locate the club they were supposed to be going to. 

 

Before Shizuo could stop himself he blurted out his next seething statement. “Yeah? Then why couldn't you stop fucking drooling over me yesterday in the room?”

 

It was almost worth it to see the way Izaya winced, but the next thing Shizuo knew there was a knife at his neck and the brunet was baring his teeth in his face. He’d never seen Izaya properly lose his cool, especially over such a lame taunt but the smaller man was utterly seething, his eyes were wide and shining with hatred. It threw Shizuo off, he had been expecting Izaya to laugh and make some snide comeback or scowl and walk away. 

 

“Stay out of my way tonight and I’ll stay out of yours,” Izaya hissed. There was a moment of stillness, then he blinked and seemed to collect himself back to his usual facade of calm, although remnants of anger were still visible from the spots of red on his face. He pocketed the knife and pushed Shizuo’s chest, forcing him back a couple of steps. “In fact, just stay out of my way forever, Shizu-chan. You’re unbearable.”

 

As Izaya stalked off, face illuminated by the screen of his smartphone, Shizuo stood still, fingers pressed against the thin cut on his throat. His hand dropped so that he could loosen the tie around his neck a little more, feeling suddenly overheated and suffocated.  

 


	6. Fist to a knife fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long one! Indulge me the ridiculousness of this adventure, I'm sort of letting the ideas get a bit wild. Camping trip next!

He had a cigarette outside alone before entering, needing a moment to relax after the events of the evening so far. It was a pleasant evening, there was a sea breeze which cooled the air enough to make it more comfortable wearing a shirt and trousers. Shizuo was still a little overheated, his body always seemed to run hotter than most people’s. Shinra deduced that it was probably due to his excessive strength and energy use but he didn’t know how much faith he put into his friend’s theory. Or perhaps he just didn’t want to feel abnormal. Eventually, he pushed himself away from the wall and flipped open his ID to enter the club. The bouncer eyed him carefully then nodded and handed back his wallet. Barely any of the clubs in Ikebukuro let him in anymore, his reputation for destruction was vast and they didn’t want any trouble. It pissed him off but he couldn’t do much about it, it was his own fault for not being able to control himself. Thankfully, in Okinawa he was just another face in the crowd, a normal, lanky no-one. And that was fine by him. 

 

The music was pounding inside, the floor was vibrating due to the bass coming from another room. Shizuo headed for the bar area which was lined with booths and peered curiously around the packed room until he caught sight of a hand waving through the crowd. He pushed through the sweaty, writhing crowd to see Kadota and Shinra sitting in a booth in the corner of the room. Shinra was drenched and panting slightly, clearly having a momentary break from the dancing Kadota had mentioned to him earlier. Kyouhei was flanked by two unfamiliar faces, both very pretty brunettes who waved casually at Shizuo as he approached. The blond cast Kadota a sly look and the other boy gave a casual shrug in return as if to say ‘ _ I literally have no idea how I managed this’ _ . 

 

“Clubbing guys, really?” he asked, shaking his head. He sat down next to Shinra, who immediately flopped onto his shoulder and wrapped his arms around Shizuo’s waist. For once, he just rolled his eyes and patted his friend’s head fondly. “Bloody drunkard.”

 

“He’s only had two beers,” Kadota chuckled. “He wore himself out by dancing like a maniac for the last few hours. By the way, this is Misaki and this is Aiko.”

 

Shizuo leaned forward and shook both girls’ outstretched hands in turn, giving them the best charming smile in his arsenal. They spoke casually among themselves for a little while, sticking to simple topics such as home and school, then Shizuo noticed there were a stack of beers in the centre of the table, as well as an oversized bottle of what looked like vodka. Expensive vodka. 

 

“Who the hell bought this?” Shizuo asked, pulling the bottle out of the ice-bucket it was perched in. 

 

Kadota rolled his eyes. “Who do you think?”

 

“Fleabag?”

 

“Fleabag.”

 

The blond scoffed and poured himself a large glass of the clear liquid, smelling it briefly before taking a sip. He didn’t usually drink neat spirits but it was far more pleasant than he imagined, clearly alcohol of quality. “Fucking show-off. Where is he anyway?”

 

“Playing cards with some older guys, somewhere over there,” Kadota answered. His eyes widened momentarily and Shizuo glanced down to see that the girl sat closer to him had slipped a hand over his knee. “Uh- um, yeah, that way, by the bar. He seems to be having fun, so just leave him.”

 

Shinra lowered his drink back onto the table and shook his head feverently until he’d swallowed all the beer in his mouth. “He’s gambling? Last time that happened I got stabbed.”

 

“By Izaya?” the other two boys said in unison. Kadota looked shocked. Shizuo was nearly frothing at the mouth with rage. 

 

“Oh god no,” Shinra laughed, waving his hands. “In fact, Nakura was aiming for Izaya. I jumped in front of him and took the hit like the courageous wonder I am! I bet Celty thought I was a knight in shining armour! Anyway, I think that was all to do with one of his gambling things. He used to run a couple of groups at school.”

 

“Nasty little shit,” Shizuo exclaimed. He turned his head to see if he could see the brunet through the crowd but he was nowhere to be seen. “He’ll get himself into trouble one day.”

 

Kadota laughed and grabbed another beer from the table. “Yeah, but that trouble will probably be with you.”

 

The blond smirked and sat back in his seat, automatically reaching for another cigarette. The others chatted animatedly among themselves as he smoked and he found that he just couldn’t relax. Instead he blankly stared into the dancing crowd, gaze drifted across the throbbing mass of sweaty bodies like he was looking for something. He forced himself not to think about who it was he was looking for. The pounding music mixed with the shrieking of the mob to create an intense buzz that rang painfully in his ears. It was too hot, too loud and the tie around his neck felt like it was choking him. Time passed quicker and quicker and when Shizuo checked his phone he was surprised to find it was half one in the morning. With an irritable growl, he stabbed his cigarette out into the ashtray and stood up, downing the glass of vodka on the table. 

 

“I need some fresh air,” he stated, waving a hand to the others.

 

Kadota peered at his watch and looked over at Shinra, who was sprawled out horizontal on the booth seat. “I reckon we should make a move anyway, it’s really late. I’ll try and get Shinra to the door and then I’ll find Izaya.”

 

“Sure,” he replied, absently. 

 

Shizuo turned into the crowd before he heard them speak again, carefully pushing between the dancers and loiterers so that he could search the other booths for the idiot he kept on telling himself he wasn’t looking for. The alcohol and atmosphere was starting to make him feel dizzy, he wanted to leave but he continued forward, getting a little more aggressive with the way he moved the crowd out of his way. Eventually, he heard that grating, familiar laugh and followed the sound to find Izaya sitting in a booth a few feet away from the quieter end of the bar. It was concealed from the rest of the club and was expensively decorated, it seemed private. As he moved into the private room, the brunet’s gaze moved up and locked with Shizuo’s. Instantly, his jovial expression fell and he mouthed ‘ _ fuck off’ _ at the other boy. 

 

Shizuo snorted derisively and shoved his hands into his pockets as he stopped in front of the table. The smaller boy glared up at him, arms folded, one leg crossed over the other, clearly pissed off. He was seated in the centre, surrounded by a group of equally dressed-up men and women. They varied in age, some looked to be in their twenties, others could have been in their fifties, but all carried an air of superiority in the way they held themselves. The bottle of champagne on the table told him they were wealthy, or at least pretending to be. Every one of them had their eyes trained on him, some curious, some annoyed. There were cards scattered around the table and a large stack of bills set in the centre - clearly they’d been gambling. 

 

“What?” Izaya snapped, laying his cards down. 

 

Shizuo ignored the off-putting stares of the others and glowered at him. “What the fuck are you doing?”

 

“You know this guy?” one of the younger men asked, turning to look at Izaya. 

 

The brunet clearly hesitated, then nodded with a grimace. “Unfortunately. Go away Shizu-chan, I’m busy.”

 

“We’re leaving,” Shizuo stated, crossing his arms over his chest. 

 

“Then leave,” he answered, irritably. “I can make my own way home.”

 

“We’re  _ leaving _ . Now. So get your shit together before I drag you out,” the blond growled. The rush of blood pounded in his ears as his anger started to grow. 

 

Izaya stared at him incredulously and opened his mouth to speak but one of the older men cut in, standing to face Shizuo. The blond was still a couple of inches taller than the man but he clearly thought he was a threat by the way he pushed into Shizuo’s personal space and prodded his chest with his forefinger. 

 

Izaya visibly tensed as the other boy turned his gaze down to the older man. “Shizu-cha-”

 

“Didn’t you hear him, kid? He wants to stay,” the man snapped, poking the boy’s chest again. “So fuck off, we’re playing cards.”

 

The blond blinked once, surprised by the man’s outburst. “Oh yeah, we’re not in ‘Bukuro are we?”

 

“Shizu-chan,” Izaya warned, glancing at the way the vein on his forehead was pulsing beneath the skin. “Don’t be more of an idiot than you already are.”

 

The jibe from the brunet was what made him snap. He reached up and wrapped his fingers around the hand prodding him and turned his head to look at Izaya. A loud cracking rang out and the man started shrieking as the bones in his hand were crushed beneath the incredible weight of the blond’s fist. The other’s at the table jumped up, so Shizuo released the man’s hand and smirked at them, cracking his knuckles in preparation. The man stumbled backward, clutching his broken hand tightly against his chest. 

 

“What the fuck?” he panted, looking the blond up and down. “What the fuck are you?”

 

“I’d tell you all that you’re making a mistake but that little shit has been pissing me off all day and I could do with a fight,” he snarled, taking a step forward.

 

Izaya sighed at the scene unfolding around him and reached into his pocket for his flick-knife. Leave it to Shizuo to make a scene. Seeing as the others were all distracted by the monster, he slyly pocketed the two stacks of bills that were settled on the seats either side of him, the winnings of the group. He’d count it when they returned but by the size alone, it was probably a hefty sum. At least something good would come from tonight, he thought. He’d been hoping to make some contacts for his burgeoning information network but money would be a fine substitute. Deftly, he stepped onto the table, over the bottles and cards and landed on the floor in front of Shizuo. He moved closer to him and covertly jabbed the point of his knife into the blond’s stomach, dragging his attention away from the group. 

 

“Calm the fuck down before you destroy this entire club,” Izaya hissed through his teeth. “You were the one who said truce, right? Don’t want to ruin things for Dotachin and Shinra.”

 

Shizuo glared at him for a moment, then turned his head away. “Whatever. We’re going.”

 

“Buzzkill,” Izaya replied. The monster seemed to relax, his anger faded a little so he lowered the knife and tucked it back into his trouser pocket. A smile spread across his face when his fingers brushed the money he’d hidden. Having a monster follow him out might prove to be an advantage if the group realised their money was gone before they’d left. He turned to face them and gave them a bright smile. “It was wonderful playing with you but I’d better go or he’ll crush my head with his bare hands. Your club is absolutely charming, we really should keep in tou-”

 

One of the older men took a step forward and Izaya noticed a flash of metal in his hand. “He broke my Executive’s hand.”

 

“Fucking Yakuza, you little prick,” Shizuo growled. He grabbed the back of Izaya’s collar and pulled him off the floor, turning him around so they were face to face. “Are you serious?”

 

Izaya shrugged just as the man lunged forward and sunk a short switchblade into Shizuo’s side. The blond dropped the other boy, who landed elegantly on his feet. He adjusted the sleeves of his jacket and patted the  Shizuo on the shoulder before turning on his heel and heading for the door. “I’ll leave this to you, okay Shizu-chan.”

 

Shizuo stared at the knife and the anger bubbling inside him finally exploded. He pulled the knife out and examined the blood on it. For a moment he was eerily quiet, then his gaze moved to the group, who were looking at him with astonishment. “Oi, flea. Catch.”

 

The brunet glanced back briefly and raised a hand to catch the bloody knife Shizuo threw at him. He slid the blade back into the handle and winked at the owner of the club who’d stabbed the blond. “Have fun. See you outside, Shizu-chan.”

 

He hummed a tune to himself as he walked out of the room and shut the door to the private room behind him. The music in the club would be loud enough to cover any screams, he thought, heading for the green-lit exit. 

 

-0- 

  
  


Izaya stretched out on the sofa and let out a yawn. “What’s the time?”

 

Shinra mumbled something unintelligible through a mouthful of pizza and Kadota backhanded his shoulder. “Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

 

“Shu’up Dotachin,” he replied, wiping his greasy lips with the back of his hand. 

 

“Celty won’t find that attractive.”

 

Shinra squealed and hurriedly swallowed the remnants of pizza in his mouth. “Really? Oh my perfect ange-”

 

“Shinra!” Izaya called, waving a hand at the boy sat on the floor. “Time. Please.”

 

The bespectacled boy rolled his eyes and jammed his watch in front of Izaya’s face so that he could carry on talking to Kadota. The brunet scowled but looked at the watch face regardless and groaned when he noted the time. Two thirty. 

 

“We should have waited for him,” Kadota said, well aware of what was causing Izaya’s moaning. “I can’t believe you left him with a room full of armed mobsters. What if they had a gun?”

 

Izaya frowned and unbuttoned his collar. His tie was already discarded on the floor beside Shinra and his jacket was neatly hung up in the wardrobe but he hadn’t changed into his pajamas like the other two just in case he needed to go out again. “Shizu-chan is more than capable of taking care of himself. He’s a freak of nature, after all.”

 

“He’s certainly unique but I don’t think even Shizuo could survive more than-” Shinra hummed, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “-five gunshot wounds to the body. Or one to the head.” 

 

“They didn’t have guns,” he retorted, turning his head up to look at the ceiling. “It’s not that I’m worried about him. It would be annoying if he got arres-”

 

The door slammed open as if on cue and the blond stomped into the room. Izaya sank down on the sofa so that he would be out of sight. He couldn’t help the smile that rose on his lips nor the slight relief that came from knowing his foe was still alive. His shirt was torn and saturated with blood on the side he’d been stabbed but otherwise he seemed his usual, violent self. 

 

“Iz-a-ya,” he drawled, cracking his knuckles one by one. “Come out, I wanna wring your shitty neck.” 

 

Shinra stood up and dropped the slice of pizza he was holding back into the box. He eyed the bloody wound from across the room and sighed, knowing full well that he would be asked to assist.  “I’ll get my first aid kit. Sit on the sofa, take off your shirt, the usual.”

 

Izaya sat up and stepped away from the couch as Shizuo approached and only narrowly missed getting smacked by his fist. “Woops, watch out there Shizu-chan. You might hurt someone.”

 

“I  _ want  _ to hurt you, you little fuck,” he growled, taking another swipe at the other boy. “You got me stabbed.”

 

“Told you,” Shinra said, re-appearing from his bedroom. “Izaya gambling leads to stabbing. We should form a club.”

 

He stepped in between the two enemies and shoved a hand against the blond’s chest, forcing him to sit down. Kadota continued eating the portion of chips that were settled in his lap, looking partly worried, partly bored. 

 

“What happened?” he asked, in between bites of food. He held out the box to Shizuo, who shook his head. “Who stabbed you?”

 

“The flea was playing Poker or some shit with a bunch of Yakuza guys, I told him we were leaving and he didn’t want to, so-”

 

“ _ So  _ you should have let me stay,” Izaya interrupted, scathingly. He sat down on the sofa opposite and stretched out his legs so he could rest his head on one of the arms. “None of this would have happened if you’d left me alone.”

 

“Shut up asshole, as if I’d-” Shizuo paused.  _ As if I’d leave you behind.  _ He furrowed his brow and started to unbutton his shirt, taking in a breath to try and calm himself. Izaya was staring at him with a strange look on his face, somewhere between curious and uneasy. “Some guy faced up to me and I broke his hand so they all came at me. The main dude, who was the owner of the club I think, got me in the side.”

 

Shinra knelt beside him and sighed as he pulled on a pair of rubber gloves. “Doesn’t look too deep. Your pain threshold is insane, you know that?”

 

“So what did you do?” Kadota asked, smirking slightly. He couldn’t help but enjoy the stories of Shizuo’s rages, they were always entertaining - so long as he wasn’t present for them, of course. 

 

“I didn’t do anything,” Shizuo replied, scowling at Izaya. The brunet’s eyes widened in surprise. “I broke his hand, got a hit in return, square’s square in my opinion. I’d rather not get into shit with the Yakuza while I’m on holiday, too fuckin’ bothersome. So I said we’re square, they agreed. I went to the twenty-four-seven to get some cigarettes, then came back here.”

 

Izaya smacked a hand against his forehead and whined, sliding his hand down his face. “You stupid monster. Why can’t you just do what I want you to?”

 

“What?” Shizuo snarled, trying his best to remain still as Shinra started cleaning the wound with antiseptic. “Why did you want me to beat them up?”

 

The brunet sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets, feeling the two enormous wads of cash he’d taken from the club. He looked back at Shizuo, focusing on the methodical motions of Shinra’s stitching. “No reason, I just like causing you trouble.”

 

The blond narrowed his eyes as if he didn’t believe the smooth lie Izaya fed them. The moment passed and he relaxed into the seat as Shinra continued his work. “Whatever, flea.” 

 

He turned his gaze back toward the ceiling and closed his eyes, the weight of the money heavy in his pockets. This could be problematic, those guys could try and come after them. Izaya pushed himself off the sofa and started to unbutton the rest of his shirt as he walked toward the bedroom. 

 

“Don’t forget we’re camping tomorrow,” Kadota called, as the door shut behind the other boy. He sighed and looked at Shizuo as he began to tidy the empty fast food boxes. “Well, aside from all this shit I had a pretty good night.”

 

Shizuo looked away from the shut door and gave Kadota a grin. “You get her number?”

 

“ _ Both  _ their numbers,” he replied, acting as casual as he could. “Right, I’m gonna get so sleep. You almost done, Shinra?”

 

“Yep!” Shinra chirped. He finished looping the suture closed and snipped the thread so it was neat. Gently, he laid a gauze over the top of the wound and then sat back with a satisfied smile. “All done. You may not be able to swim for a little while but knowing your healing rate you’ll probably be fine by tomorrow evening!”

 

The blond smiled and patted him on the back. “Thanks Shinra. You’re going to make an amazing doctor in the future.”

 

“He already is,” Kadota added. 

 

Shinra beamed at both of them, then stood and gathered his equipment. He turned his sleepy eyes on Shizuo and gave an exaggerated yawn. “I need to sleep. Grooving wiped me out. I wish Celty could have come dancing, I bet she would have looked amazing.”

 

Kyouhei slung an arm around Shinra’s shoulders and they moved toward their room. “You’re such a fanboy, it’s kinda adorable, kinda weird.”

 

“Weird? Celty is the most perfect creature…”

 

Shizuo rolled his eyes as he continued to ramble about his beloved. For a moment, he considered sleeping on the sofa but they were both uncomfortable two-seaters and the prospect of a soft bed was irresistible, even if he’d have to be in the same room as Izaya. With a slight wince due to the pull of the stitches, he stood and strode toward the bedroom. When he opened the door he was surprised to see that the bedside lamp was on and Izaya was still awake. He was wearing his pajamas, propped up against the pillows, duvet pulled up over his lap. The smaller boy didn’t look up, he kept his eyes focused on the book in his hands. Shizuo wordlessly headed for his bed, unbuttoning the fly of his dress trousers as he sat down on the edge. He slipped them off his legs and threw the material on the top of his suitcase. 

 

“Shizu-chan.”

 

The blond turned around to see Izaya swinging his legs over the side of his bed so that he could face Shizuo. They faced one another, silent and expressionless until Izaya sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 

 

“It pains me to say this but-” he paused, looking down at the floor. “I uh-”

 

Shizuo tutted and stood, grabbing hold of the front of Izaya’s t-shirt so he could yank the boy to his feet. He grunted at the sudden action and jerked an arm out to try and reach the switchblade on the bedside table. The blond shook him roughly, pulling him out of arm’s reach of the knife. Eventually Izaya stilled and glared at up at the larger boy, fingernails moving to dig into his forearm. 

 

“You can’t do everything on your own,” he hissed, leaning closer to the brunet. Izaya’s earlier comment rang in his ears.  _ I’m capable of doing everything myself.  _ “If you were the one who got stabbed you’d probably have died. Stop fuckin’ around.”

 

Izaya’s gaze darkened and his lips curved down in an unhappy frown. “Why do you care? Don’t you want me dead?” 

 

“I-” he hesitated, uncertain of how to reply. Izaya was nothing but a nuisance to him, he truly hated his guts and often wanted to beat the shit out of him, but - dead? Life would be easier, certainly. But it would also be...different. He swallowed, an action that didn’t go unnoticed by Izaya, whose brows raised slightly in strange revelation. The brunet's lips parted and for a moment Shizuo couldn't tear his gaze away from them. It was only when he looked back up at Izaya's half-lidded eyes that he forced himself to keep talking. “Of course, I just wanna be the one to kill you.”

 

He shoved Izaya back onto his bed and turned away so that he wouldn’t see the way his eyes scrunched up in turmoil. Without looking back, he flopped down onto his bed and pulled the blanket up over his shoulders. It was a warm night, he didn’t really need a blanket but he felt oddly exposed and the coverage made him feel a little less unnerved. 

 

“I see,” Izaya answered, quietly. He heard the brunet shuffle back into bed, then the light clicked off and the room was cast into darkness. “Night, Shizuo.”

 

They both laid in the darkness, facing away from one another, guts squirming with unease. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Shallow living

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!

Despite their late night the boys managed to get up early, thanks to excitement and Shinra jumping on each of their beds to wake them. By the time they got on the trail to get to Cape Manzamo the sun was still low in the sky and it wasn't too hot to distract them yet. They’d stocked up on supplies the previous afternoon so they headed straight up the trail to make as much headway as possible before the heat became unbearable. 

 

“This is more like it!” Kadota exclaimed, pulling his rucksack higher up on his shoulders. 

 

“You hike a lot?” Izaya asked. 

 

Kyouhei nodded and turned his head to look at the smaller boy walking beside him. “Yeah, me and my old man used to go all the time. I don't get as much chance to now he’s gone but I try to get out when I can.” 

 

Izaya gave him a small smile. He knew that Kadota’s father had passed away, his friend had been absent from school for some time while he was dealing with the loss. He’d never asked Kyouhei about it but that didn't mean he was unaware of the details - Izaya knew a  _ lot _ about Ikebukuro and its citizens. Kadota didn't seem overtly affected by it but there were signs - the fact he wore a blue patch on his jacket, that he came into school with black eyes and busted lips sometimes. The brunet had been rather surprised by that development, he’d never imagined Kadota to be interested in such things. It sparked his interest though, and he made sure to keep a more observant eye on the boy ever since. 

 

“What do you like about it?” 

 

“Mm, I dunno really,” Kadota answered, peering around the trail they were walking on. “Fresh air, nature, just bring outside I guess. It's nice to just walk and forget about all the other shit at the end of the trail, y’know.” 

 

Izaya hummed skeptically. “I’ve always preferred cities to the countryside.”

 

“Yeah, but you like people watching, don’t you?” he replied. “Not many people out here to observe I’m afraid. You’ll have to settle for us.”

 

“Ah, Dotachin, you are more than enough,” Izaya winked, looping one arm around Kadota’s. 

 

“Flirt.”

 

Shizuo and Shinra were walking together a few feet behind the other two, going a little slower as they stopped every now and then to look at the plants and animals surrounding them. The blond was thoroughly enjoying himself, Shinra was a fountain of random facts and rather entertaining when he wasn’t overly hyper. 

 

“How do you know so much about bugs?” he asked, peering down at the caterpillar that was perched on the edge of his finger. He smiled at the creature then moved his hand toward Shinra. 

 

The other boy pushed his glasses further up his nose and took the bug from Shizuo, carefully cradling it in his palm. He stopped momentarily to place it onto a nearby bush, then turned back to continue walking. “Before I grew interested in supernatural beings, I used to read a lot of books about insects. They’re so beautifully abnormal, such strange make-ups, it’s fascinating.”

 

Shizuo grinned and elbowed Shinra as gently as he could, which still sent the boy stumbling a few steps to the side. “Wish I had that brain of yours.”

 

“If you had  _ my  _ brain in  _ your  _ body, you’d be twice as dangerous,” Shinra laughed, moving back onto the path. He pointed ahead at the other two boys and spoke in a slightly hushed voice. “Imagine if you had Izaya’s brain.”

 

“Ugh, I’d rather not,” he scoffed. He looked up at Izaya’s back and let out an irritable sigh. After that strange moment the previous evening, they hadn’t so much as looked at one another. Shizuo felt awkward and feeling awkward made him angry, he’d been on edge all morning until Shinra started distracting him with interesting conversation. Izaya was acting  _ normal  _ which made Shizuo uneasy because the brunet was anything but normal. He turned his gaze away from Izaya and back to Shinra. “Anyway, tell me about more insects.”

 

The group hiked for most of the morning, crossing through a number of small villages, dense forest and field topped cliffs that gave them a great view of the sea. After a few hours, the sun had risen to the centre of the sky and the heat grew too much for them to bear. Kadota worked out that they could reach the top of the cliff before sundown even if they stopped until the air cooled in the evening, they headed into a secluded thicket with good shade coverage and set up a small area to rest for a while. 

 

Shizuo threw his bag down and collapsed onto the floor, rolling on his back so he could look at the sky. The trees shaded them from the worst of the sun’s rays, so all that was visible was the perfect blue of the sky. He sighed, relaxing into the cool grass. Shinra dropped down beside him and began rummaging in his bag for a bottle of water. Kadota and Izaya followed suit, removing their bags so they could flop down to the ground. 

 

“It’s so hot,” Shinra panted, unscrewing the lid. He took a long swig of water and held it out to Shizuo. “Want some?”

 

Shizuo shut his eyes and let out an exhausted sigh. “Could you pour some over my face?”

 

“With pleasure.”

 

_ Crack.  _ It wasn’t Shinra’s voice, nor was it water that splashed down onto Shizuo’s face. The blond spluttered and sat upright, wiping his eyes clear of the liquid to see Izaya stood above him with an open can of beer in his hand and a smirk on his lips. Angry as he was, Shizuo was also somewhat relieved to see the flea back to his usual aggravating self. Quiet, subdued Izaya confused him because he didn’t want to feel anything but hate toward him. 

 

“You little shit,” he grunted, wiping his beer-soaked face with his hand. 

 

Izaya chuckled and passed him the can before sitting back down on the grass, crossing his legs over one another. “Have that instead of any apology.”

 

“Here you go, man,” Kyouhei laughed, throwing a bottle of water at Shizuo’s feet. “Use that to rinse off your head or you’ll get sticky.”

 

“Maybe wasps would swarm around him,” Izaya mused. He laid back and laced his hands behind his head. “Do you think you could get stung to death, Shizu-chan?”

 

The blond scowled at him and snatched the water bottle on the floor. “Shut up, flea.”

 

Shinra hummed thoughtfully and rolled onto his front, resting his chin on his knuckles. “Actually that would be an interesting experiment-” Shizuo paused in tipping water over his head to glare at the bespectacled boy, who smiled sheepishly. “Not that I would do that to you! Obviously! Your body is so incredible though, Shizuo, I wonder what it would take to kill you.”

 

“Probably lung cancer,” Izaya commented, closing his eyes to enjoy the warmth of the air. “You smoke far too much, Shizu-chan.”

 

“I said:  _ shut up _ ,” the blond growled. He shook his head of the excess water and ran a hand through his hair to move it out of his eyes. After screwing the lid back onto the bottle, he chucked it back to Kadota. “Thanks, Kyouhei.”

 

The boy caught the water deftly and grinned. “No worries.”

 

Shizuo shoved a hand into his bag to fish out a box of cigarettes, craving one at the very mention of smoke. He placed one into his mouth and lit it before laying back on the grass to look at the sky. Smoke spiralled upward in elegant patterns, drawing the attention of all the boys. They remained quiet for a while, watching the plume twist through the air and dissipate among the trees. Eventually, Shizuo sighed and tapped out the ash gathering at the end of the cigarette. 

 

“I think I’d die if I got shot,” he said, half to himself. “With like, a shotgun or something.”

 

“Or a cannon.” Izaya rolled his head to the side and glanced at Shizuo, frowning slightly. Shizuo turned his cheek down to the ground so he could look back at the brunet. They glared at one another silently, then Izaya held out a hand and stretched his thin fingers toward the other boy. “Can I have a cigarette?”

 

“You gonna throw it away after one drag again?” Shizuo asked, narrowing his eyes. 

 

“Can’t promise anything.”

 

Shizuo rolled his eyes and took the cigarette out of his mouth so that he could place it between the other’s fingers. “Just have a toke of that. I’m not wasting smokes on you.”

 

The brunet took it hesitantly and held it above his face, nose wrinkling in disgust. “But it’s been in your mouth.”

 

“Then give it back.”

 

Izaya shot him a glare and stubbornly shoved the filter between his lips. The blond’s eyes widened in surprise so he quickly turned his face back up to the sky to avoid looking at him. Smoke flooded Izaya’s mouth and he slowly inhaled to try and make the experience more pleasant. He’d watched Shizuo do this hundreds of times, he knew how it worked and eventually he felt the dry heat of smoke curling deeper into his body. When he opened his mouth, a slow moving plume of smoke twisted out from between his lips and he sighed in satisfaction. It was kind of nice when done slowly, perhaps this is why Shizuo spent so much money on these things. 

 

“Thanks,” he said, holding it back out toward Shizuo. 

 

“Keep it, I don’t want your spit in my mouth.”

 

Izaya pouted and flicked the cigarette away. When Shizuo glared at him, he laughed lightly and shrugged. “Oops.”

 

The blond’s angry gaze intensified for a moment, then he drew in a breath and looked back at the sky. “I can’t be fucked with you today.”

 

“You’re so boring Shizu-chan,” he muttered, folding his hands back behind his head. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the trees creaking in the wind. A heavy punch to the side of his arm broke the peace and he sat upright, eyes snapping open to look at Shizuo. “Ow! That hurt, monster!”

 

Shizuo didn’t reply and his eyes didn’t open but his lips rose in a satisfied smile. Izaya couldn’t stop himself from smiling too. 

 

-0-

 

They set off when the air was cooler and the sun was a little lower in the sky. There was a pleasant sea breeze which took off the edge but despite this they were still drenched with sweat and utterly exhausted by the time they reached Manzamo cliffs. Kadota suggested they explore more in the morning, that they set up camp and get the bonfire going for food - a suggestion which was unanimously voted in favour for. They found a shady spot beneath some trees with a beautiful view of the ocean, a little way off the main path so they were alone, away from the other hikers. Shizuo and Kadota set up the tents and left the other two to create the fire. They dipped into the trees to find suitable kindling, chattering animatedly about some obscure topic. 

 

“Today has been great so far,” Kyouhei smiled, fixing a tent peg into the ground. He gestured to Shizuo who pushed it down with his finger - far more effective than hauling a mallet all the way up the cliff. “You and Izaya are doing well.”

 

Shizuo felt a pang of guilt and sheepishly ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah well, I felt bad about the other nights. I'm trying to keep it cool but the little shit has me on edge all the time.” 

 

They moved on to the next tent, Kadota doing most of the assembling, while Shizuo nailed it to the ground. It didn't take them long, so they stowed their backpacks into separate tents and looked down at the two other bags on the floor. Shizuo glanced at Kyouhei, who was looking back with narrowed eyes, and gave an exasperated sigh. With a huff, he picked up Izaya’s bag and threw it into the tent containing his own. 

 

“You owe me one, Kyouhei,” he grumbled, collapsing onto the grass between the two tents. “You got any beer?”

 

“In my bag, lemme grab them.”

 

Kadota passed him a can as he sprawled out next to the blond on the grass. The area was blissfully calm, the trees sheltered them from the wind, which left the air the perfect temperature for relaxing. Shizuo cracked open the can of beer and rested it on his stomach, holding it with one hand while the other moved behind his head. The peace was shortly broken by the sound of crunching branches and a shrill, familiar voice. 

 

“Shizu-chan,” Izaya called, as he and Shinra reappeared from the thicket. “Can I borrow your lighter?” 

 

He raised his middle finger at Izaya as he walked past. “Fuck off, flea.”

 

“Hey, c’mon, don’t be a pain. I need it to light the wood.”

 

Shizuo opened an eye and watched as the brunet dumped a load of logs into a space between the two tents. Clearly someone else had the same camping spot as them recently as the space had been raked clear of grass and sand had been scattered there to create an area for a fire. Izaya crouched and began arranging the wood into a pile and stuffing a bunch of dry grass into the gaps between the logs. Shinra busied himself with placing a number of stones around the pile, enough to stop the flames from spreading onto the grass. 

 

“I’ll light it. I don’t trust you with my lighter,” he grumbled, clambering to his feet. 

 

Izaya glared at him as he approached and sat down on his backside so he could stretch his legs out. “It’s just a lighter.”

 

The blond clicked his tongue and crouched down next to Izaya. “Kasuka gave it to me as a present. It’s precious to me.”

 

“All the more reason for me to destroy it,” Izaya replied, grinning widely. He held up a packet of firelighters and shoved them into the other boy’s chest. “But, I guess you can light it if you insist.”

 

Shizuo growled at him through bared teeth and snatched the box out of his hand. “Do that and I really will rip your head off.”

 

Izaya hummed and tilted his head, peering at him through narrowed, curious eyes. The look made Shizuo uneasy, but he didn’t break contact, not until Izaya spoke again. “I don’t think you would.”

 

“Oh yeah?” he scoffed, turning his head back to focus on the fire. He shoved a bunch of the lighters into the centre of the woodpile and scattered a few around the outside. “And why the fuck wouldn’t I?”

 

“I’m not sure. I have this odd feeling that you won’t ever be able to kill me, if it comes to it. And not for lack of strength, just-,” he murmured. His brows furrowed together slightly. “You’re so complicated, Shizu-chan. That’s why I hate you so much.” The brunet stood and made his way back to the tents, yawning loudly as if the moderate exercise had worn him out. “Dot-a-chin! Where’s the food? I’m starv- hey! Why am I in a tent with that idiot protozoan?” 

 

Shizuo rolled his eyes and flicked open his lighter to set fire to the tinder. The blond didn’t consider himself to be complicated, he was rather simple in his way of thinking. Izaya was the complicated one, he thought to himself as the dry grass immediately sparked into life. Weak, grey smoke began to plume from the burning kindling into the sky. The group settled into their camp as the fire grew, chatting and drinking as Kadota set up a way to barbeque the meat they brought with them. The smoke grew thicker as the fire began to chew at the fuel logs and it spiralled into the sky, high above the trees.

  
  


-0- 

  
  


“See that up there?” 

 

A black car pulled to a halt on a dirt road near the bottom of Manzamo. High above them on the cliffs, smoke was rising. A man spat out of the window onto the floor then turned look at the other man sat in the passenger’s seat. 

 

“You think that’s them?” he asked, stilling his hand on the steering wheel. 

 

“We didn’t see anybody else goin’ up that trail today. Then again, the fuckin’ trees are really thick, so I dunno.”

 

The driver sighed and shifted in his seat so that he could peer down the road ahead. “Well, we can get about halfway up, then we’re gonna have to walk.”

 

“Never mind. What boss wants, boss gets, right?” the passenger grinned. He patted the front of his jacket and dipped a hand beneath the lapel to brush over the weapon sitting inside his pocket. 

 

“Yeah, and the boss said - no guns,” the driver frowned, shaking his head. “Wants it quiet, right?”

 

The passenger rolled his eyes. “I got a silencer, don’t worry. Besides, you’re gonna need more than a knife to get to that big guy. Remember when Aki stabbed him - he didn’t even flinch.”

 

The other man nodded and shuddered slightly at the memory. “I’m hoping he ain’t there to be honest. I just wanna go in, get the money, rough up that kid a bit and fuck off home.”

 

“You’re no fun since you had baby,” the passenger chided, clicking his tongue derisively. He opened the glove compartment and pulled out the vicious-looking blade he’d stowed in there before they left the club earlier that day. 

 

The driver glared at the other man and shook his head. “Just because I don’t take pleasure in cutting up teenagers doesn’t make me ‘not fun’. If anything it makes you look like more of a psycho.”

 

“I’m not a psycho, I’m just good at my job,” he replied, scathingly. “I can’t believe that little shit had the gall to steal all that cash.”

 

“He’s got balls, I’ll give him that.” 

 

The passenger chuckled under his breath and placed a fingertip on the point of the blade. “How long ‘til we get there?”

 

“Another hour or so, then we gotta walk.”

 

He sighed and placed the knife flat on the top of his thighs, pouting as he rested his head against the back of his seat. “Ugh, that’s ages. I made myself all antsy and excited. Gotta calm down, put the radio on.”

 

The driver huffed a sigh but pushed the button for the music. “You’re such a pain in the ass to work with, you know that?”

 

“Yeah, I know.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	8. Regions of heat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy! Don't fret, there will be smut - just not yet!

The sun sank behind the horizon, casting Okinawa into darkness. The boys ate and drank the hours away, eventually settling around the fire with beers in hand. Izaya was stretched out on his back, with his head resting on Shinra’s thigh, looking very much the epitome of relaxed. Shizuo was prodding a stick into the fire, scraping away at the charred edges of the fuel logs so that he could watch the sparks burst from the crackled bark. 

 

“What do you reckon you’ll do in the future, Dotachin?” Izaya asked, turning his head to look at the boy sitting on the other side of the fire. “We’ve finished school now, that’s the sort of thing we need to be thinking about.”

 

Kadota hummed in thought and lowered the beer he’d been drinking to the ground. “I’m not sure. I’ve been thinking about going on to further study, art perhaps.”

 

Shinra grinned and nodded his head encouragingly. “You should! The watercolours your Mother has up in your house are really fantastic.”

 

“I didn’t know you painted,” Izaya said, lacing his hands together over his stomach. “You must send me some pictures of them, Dotachin.”

 

“Eh, they could be better,” Kadota replied, flushing a little at the attention. He looked down at his hands and pursed his lips, frowning slightly at whatever unknown thought was passing through his mind. “I dunno, that’s just an idea. I’m going to take year out to work some shit jobs for a bit anyway. And I- well, I have some other stuff on the horizon in Ikebukuro that I need to take care of.”

 

Izaya studied Kyouhei’s expression carefully, picking apart the way his brows furrowed and his eyes narrowed slightly. He knew what the other boy was referring to, what ‘other stuff’ he would be dealing with in the city. For once he kept his mouth shut but when Kadota glanced up from his hands and met his gaze, Izaya couldn’t help but grin. Kyouhei’s eyes widened at the realisation that the smaller boy  _ knew _ but he didn’t reveal anything further, he simply grabbed his beer and swallowed a large gulp to ease his discomfort.

 

“What about you, Shinra?” Izaya asked, rolling his head back up to look at the other boy. 

 

“Med school,” he answered, nonchalantly. “I might carry on after the initial course but who knows. I could use the basic training for future study, especially if I want to explore the abnormal or superhuman. Especially Celty! The more I can learn about her, the better.”

 

Shizuo looked pointedly at him and scowled. “I am  _ not _ going to let you experiment on me, kay Frankenstein?”

 

Shinra waved his hand carelessly, then gave him an evil smirk. “Well then I guess I’ll be relying on Izaya to slice you open. You always come to me for patching up anyway.”

 

All apart from Shizuo laughed and even the blond gave a snort after a while. He fished a cigarette out of his top pocket and jammed the tip into the campfire until it burned red. 

 

“You can count on me, Shinra,” Izaya chuckled, narrowing his eyes at Shizuo. “Just say the word and I’ll have his kidneys on a plate.”

 

Kadota rolled his eyes as Shizuo growled aggressively at the other boy, who simply laughed in return. “What about you, Shizuo? What do you reckon you’ll end up doing?”

 

The blond shrugged and let out a large breath of smoke. “No idea. I don’t think I’ll go to University-”

 

“Surprise, surprise,” Izaya commented, snidely. The smirk was wiped off his face when a beer can hit him straight in the face. He sat up and rubbed his cheek, glaring angrily at the blond. “Ow! Stupid monster.”

 

Shizuo continued, ignoring Izaya’s whining. “I think I’m going to work a few jobs in the city to raise a little money. I’d prefer a simpler sort of living, something peaceful. Maybe somewhere near the ocean, do somethin’ like fishing.”

 

“Seems like a waste of your strength,” Izaya added, folding his legs over one another. He kicked off his shoes so he could warm his feet by the fire. “You would have made a great bodyguard.”

 

“What about you then, flea?” Shizuo grumbled, taking another drag of his cigarette. 

 

Izaya hummed thoughtfully and looked into the fire, making his eyes shine in the light of the flames. “I’m going to study philosophy at the University of Tokyo.”

 

“You got in?” Shinra exclaimed, clapping his hands together. “That’s great! Why didn’t you tell me?”

 

“Congratulations man,” Kadota said, raising his beer can toward the smaller boy. “Number one in the country, isn’t it?”

 

Izaya flushed a little and nodded. As much as he enjoyed attention, he wasn’t used to direct, genuine praise from people he actually respected. “Uh, yeah. It should be fun. I’ll be studying for three years, then I’m going to be starting my own business. I’ve been working on it for the past couple of years.”

 

“What sort of thing?” Kadota asked. 

 

“In something I enjoy - people!” he answered, a wide grin spreading across his face. He turned to look at Kadota and winked. “It’s not something I can divulge too much of at the moment but I’m sure I’ll be needing your  _ insight _ in the future.”

 

Kadota looked away uncomfortably, something that Shizuo noticed. He took a drag of his cigarette and decided to ask his friend about it when they were alone. For the moment, he just kicked Izaya in the side and flicked the smoking filter of his cigarette into the fire. 

 

“It’ll probably be something nasty if it’s a business you’re gonna be runnin’,” he grunted. Izaya kicked a foot back at him, which he caught in one hand. “Some kind puppet master, playing around with people’s lives. That’d suit you down do the ground, wouldn’t it, flea?”

 

Izaya laughed lightly under his breath and drew his foot out of Shizuo’s grasp. “I couldn’t possibly say.”

 

-0- 

 

Hours passed and the sky cleared of cloud to reveal a beautiful, star-studded sky. Shinra had fallen asleep, so Shizuo carried him to his tent and stuffed him into a sleeping bag. Surprisingly, he’d slept through the whole process. Izaya was sprawled out on his back, sipping from a hip flask he’d brought with him and Kadota was sitting upright by the fire, eyes heavy with fatigue. Shizuo returned and sat down beside Izaya’s head, cracking open a new beer as he joined them mid-conversation. 

 

“So why philosophy?” Kadota asked, leaning against his palm. “Thought you'd go for politics.” 

 

Izaya chuckled and lowered the hip flask from his mouth. “I don't think I'd make a very good politician. Do you, Shizu-chan?” 

 

“Fucking dreadful.”

 

“Exactly. I suppose it's because it's always been an interest of mine,” Izaya continued, rolling his head up to look at the sky. “I'm fascinated by humans, the way they think and why they do what they do. But I must admit I'm fairly dissatisfied with my position in the world. I don't feel part of anything, rather someone looking in. I wonder if learning more about what it is to be human will make me feel a little closer to them.”

 

“You talk like an alien,” Kadota commented. 

 

Izaya laughed again and looked back at his friend. “I feel like one sometimes.”

 

Shizuo watched the brunet as he spoke, closely watching his face for any glimmer of dishonesty. He was perturbed to find he found none and that he somewhat empathized with Izaya. He, in all his brutish strength, was ‘something else’, a creature ostracised by his fellow human for being abnormal. A  _ monster.  _ There were many times where Shizuo felt as if he were on the outside looking in, watching how others interacted so that he could emulate them, so that he could be more human. After a while being lost in thought, Izaya caught his eye and stared back at him. There was nothing on his face, just blankness. 

 

They chatted absently for a little longer until Kadota decided to retire to bed. He finished his beer and bid his friends goodnight, giving them one final warning not to fight that evening or he’d throw them both off the cliff. After he’d disappeared and the tent was zipped up, the two foes sat in silence for a while, simply listening to the crackle of the fire and the gentle rolling of the waves below the cliff. Shizuo propped himself up on the heels of his hands and stared at the sky, tracing the patterns of the few constellations he’d read about. Eventually his gaze dipped to Izaya, who was laying with his eyes closed but clearly wasn't asleep. He was tapping his fingers gently against the side of the hip flask resting on his stomach, an odd rhythm that Shizuo didn't recognise. The blond swallowed a gulp of beer and rested the can back on the ground beside him. 

 

“Hey, monster?” Izaya murmured, not bothering to open his eyes. He didn't wait for Shizuo’s response before continuing. “Let's not fight right now. I'm too relaxed.” 

 

“I wasn't gonna start a fight so long as you don't,” he replied, curtly. 

 

The smaller boy smiles softly and tilted his face toward the fire. “Even Shizu-chan can be pleasant, who knew?”

 

Shizuo glanced down at him and frowned. Izaya looked different in that light, the orange glow softened his sharp features. Shizuo ran a hand through his hair and hoped that Izaya wouldn't hear him gulping. “Hey, flea?”

 

“Mmhm?”

 

“Do you really feel like that?” he asked, curiously. “Like what you said before. About not feeling part of anything?”

 

Izaya stopped tapping his fingers on the flask. For a moment he was silent, then he spoke and his tone was softer than usual. “Why? Are you attempting to spot similarities between us Shizu-chan?”

 

“Well, I-”

 

“Because that would be a mistake,” he interrupted. He barely moved, his eyes remained closed, expression as unreadable as ever. “I at least have the capacity to be considered human.”

 

Shizuo blinked. There was a flare of anger there but nothing compared to his usual reactions. He turned his head and stared into the fire, mind racing with thoughts that he couldn’t keep up with. “Why do we fight so much?”

 

“Your guess is as good as mine, Shizu-chan. Perhaps we were just born to hate one another,” Izaya sighed, scrunching his nose up. He still didn’t open his eyes. “I think we’ll always hate each other. Which is strange.”

 

“Why’s that?”

 

Izaya hummed in thought. “Hate is a very strong emotion. It means we’re likely to be in one another’s lives - in some respect, at least - for a long time.”

 

The blond frowned and flicked a stone into the fire. It sunk to the bottom of the burning logs, out of sight. “I don’t understand.”

 

“You never forget your lovers, do you? Love is a strong emotion too,” Izaya mused. “I doubt we’ll ever be completely free of the hate between us.”

 

“Like I said earlier, you’re too complicated.”

 

Izaya laughed under his breath. “ It's so hard to forget pain, but it's even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.”

 

Shizuo furrowed his brow, recognising the quote from somewhere but unable to place it. An odd feeling scrunched his guts and he felt like he might be sick at the thought running through his head.  _ I want to kiss him.  _ He couldn't pinpoint what started it, but soon he could barely think for those words echoing over and over in his mind. Part of him told himself to stop, to punch Izaya instead or at least do something that wasn't leaning over the flea, looking down at him, being driven crazy by the sight of his eyes opening. 

 

“Shizu-chan?” Izaya asked, peering up at the blond. His mouth twisted into a frown as Shizuo’s hands settled on either side of his head. Despite the negative expression, his gaze lowered to Shizuo’s lips. “What are you doing?”

 

“Don't know, I just-” Shizuo began, starting to lean away. He was cut off when Izaya leaned up and pressed his lips to his own. He was upside down, so the position was awkward but Shizuo couldn't help himself and he leaned in to deepen the kiss. Goddamn flea, he thought as Izaya’s hands groped his hair, he just had to take the upper hand, didn't he? 

 

After a moment, Izaya dropped his head back to the ground and let out a breath, oddly collected for someone who’d just kissed someone who’d promised to kill them. Izaya licked his bottom lip and looked up at Shizuo as he moved around so that he was kneeling beside the brunet and they were no longer upside down. Slowly, he sat up and placed a hand onto Shizuo’s chest, cautiously watching the blond as if he were worried he was about to explode. 

 

“This isn't-” he began, seriously. His eyes dropped to look at the hand he’d placed on the other’s chest. “I'm not-”

 

“Me neither,” Shizuo growled. He grabbed Izaya's hand and pulled it so that it was settled across his shoulder and he could drag him into another kiss. This was more aggressive, more biting and nasty and similar to their usual relationship. Whatever  _ this  _ was, it wasn't normal and they both needed a touch of something that they could relate to in order to feel more at ease. 

 

Izaya settled quickly into a rhythm, taking his hands through Shizuo’s hair as he twisted his head from side to side. Throughout the kiss he muttered “Don't think too much, Shizu-chan. Your tiny brain will explode.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

The brunet pushed him down and straddled his waist, completely losing himself to the sensation of his enemy’s tongue curling around his own. Shizuo groaned as Izaya ground his hips down into his lap and tensed when he realised quite how hard this was making him.  _ Don't think.  _ That’s what Izaya told him. Don't think about what feels bad - what feels good? The way the flea was biting his neck feels good, the way his thin fingers are crawling beneath the hem of his t-shirt feel good. Shizuo bit back a moan as Izaya’s nails dug into the skin of his hips and scratched up his stomach. They stopped at his pectorals then rake back down again, leaving red, raw trails in their wake. Shizuo gasped and bucked his hips at the sensation, mind still reeling in confusion at the entire situation, at the opposing voices in his head telling him to react differently. Izaya leaned back and their eyes met, both wide and uncertain but wholly excited. 

 

It was Shizuo who leaned up then but Izaya snapped his head to one side and slammed a hand over the blond’s mouth. He jolted, startled by the sudden movement, but halted when the brunet held a finger up to his own lips. Slowly, he leaned down and placed his lips next to Shizuo’s ear. 

 

“There’s someone watching us from the thicket,” he whispered, softly. Izaya slid a hand down over Shizuo’s shorts, to between his legs and smiled when he felt the blond tense. Instead of continuing on that path, he dipped his hand into his pocket and wrapped his fingers around the handle of his flick-knife. He glanced quickly up at the brief flicker of light from what was clearly a concealed torch then back down at Shizuo. “Get ready.”

 

Shizuo nodded, cursing whatever god above for the fucking poor timing. 

  
  



	9. An awful sound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being patient! Sorry that this one is shorter than usual, I wanted to write a longer chapter for the next one and leave all the action to this. :) 
> 
> This story is a little absurd but hey, it's in the Durarara universe, anything is possible!

_ Crack.  _

 

“Alright, Shizu-chan, you ready?”

 

“Of course I’m ready, flea!”

 

“Keep your voice down!”

 

Shizuo glowered at the boy still straddling his lap and briefly glanced in the direction of the approaching sounds. “Who the fuck are these guys?” 

 

“I have a hunch,” Izaya whispered, wrinkling his nose. 

 

The blond’s scowl darkened. “They’re the guys from that bar the other night aren’t they? What did you do, you little shit?”

 

“I may have taken the winnings from the poker game before it was deemed finished but that was your fault really, wasn’t it?”

 

“You wh-?!” Shizuo began. Izaya slammed a hand over his mouth to muffle the objection before it became too loud. 

 

_ Crunch. _

 

“Shut up, you ignoramus,” Izaya glanced sideways and let out a sharp breath as he saw the familiar glint of metal from the bushes. He nodded silently at Shizuo, who nodded back. “They’ve got a knife.”

 

“So let me go first,” Shizuo whispered, narrowing his eyes at the boy atop him. “They could have more than just a knife.”

 

“I’m capable of handling this myself,” the brunet hissed, irritably. “You should-”

 

_ SNAP.  _

 

The twig breaking in close proximity was the last thing Izaya heard before Shizuo grabbed roughly ahold of his hips and threw him roughly to one side. Izaya hit the ground hard and rolled to a halt just before the fire as Shizuo launched himself off the ground toward the shadowy outline of a man standing a few feet away. 

 

“Shizuo!” Izaya gasped, immediately pushing himself to his feet. He flicked out his knife just as he heard an almighty  _ crack _ ring out across the clearing. A pained shout followed, then further scuffling noises and the familiar rumble of anger from deep within Shizuo’s chest. The brunet started to move forward when he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see another man standing close behind him. His face paled when he recognised the large man as one of the group he had been playing cards with the previous evening. Before he could speak, the man raised his fist and punched Izaya hard in the side of the face, sending him toppling to the ground. He grunted upon impact and tightened his fist around the handle of his knife as he made move to stand again. The man kicked him swiftly in the stomach, forcing him back down, then began stamping over and over on his hand until he let go of the switchblade. 

 

“Agh, fuck!” Izaya exclaimed, drawing his wounded hand into his chest. He was slightly winded from the heavy kick but he managed to push himself up onto his knees. Just before Izaya could climb to his feet, he felt something cold rest against his forehead and he froze when he glanced up to see the wide, flat end of a silencer pressing into him. He swallowed thickly and tried to formulate some sort of plan but for once he was drawing a blank, he couldn’t see how to dance away from this situation like he usually did. 

 

The man grinned at him and pushed the revolver harder against his skull, drawing a light hiss from the boy. “Kids like you shouldn’t go playin’ with adults.” 

 

“Humans are born for games,” Izaya replied, watching the finger on the trigger carefully. “Nothing else.”

 

A loud thump came from the other side of the clearing, then an animalistic growl which Izaya noted was further away than he initially thought Shizuo would be. Something else crunched, then whistled through the air and suddenly a tree was sent crashing to the ground a few feet away from the campsite. Izaya grimaced and glanced sideways, desperately trying to see if he could see Shizuo. The sound of further scuffle could be heard but the dim flames were not light enough to to see further than their pitched tent. His attention was drawn back by the slow click of a safety catch being turned off. Izaya’s eyes widened and his guts twisted with unfamiliar anxiety as he peered back up at the sneering face of the man above him. 

 

“I don’t have the time nor want to play,” the man taunted, tilting his head to one side. “So tell me whereabouts you hid that cash, ‘kay bud?”

 

Izaya managed to muster a smirk. “That was hardly a large amount of money, especially to someone as influential as your boss, right? So I’m guessing this is purely about ‘respect’, or some sort of perceived slight? Hah! Don’t tell me the big scary boss is worried about people finding out he was tricked by some ‘kid’? Patheti-”

 

The barrel of the gun thwacked hard against the side of his face and he fell onto his side, spluttering as blood filled his mouth. The boy knew he was pushing his luck but he had to keep stalling the mobster. Distracting the man with talk wouldn’t work, Izaya had met people like this before - Shizuo being one of them. Unfortunately such brutes reacted best when exposed to violence, so he had little choice. Izaya watched and spat a wad of blood onto the floor as the man switched on the safety, then stowed away the gun in his jacket. A nasty grin spread across his face despite nerves causing his broken fingers to shake. He’d carry on taunting the stupid son of bitch until Shizuo was done with the other - surely he couldn’t be that much longer? Izaya couldn't take on a man with a gun in his already wounded state but with Shizuo around they had a chance. Quickly he looked over at the tent occupied by his other two friends. It was zipped up and motionless, but considering Shinra was drunkenly out-cold and Kadota slept with his iPod in, it wasn't surprising that they were still unaware of the commotion outside. 

 

“You’ve got quite the mouth for a weak little shit,” the man scoffed. He pushed his jacket sleeves up so that his forearms were bared. “Did your parents not tell you to respect your elders?”

 

Izaya swiped a hand across his lips and tried to ignore bright scarlet that smeared across his skin. Slowly, he clambered to his feet and covertly moved one hand into his back pocket to find his other pocket knife. “Age doesn’t play into it. I don’t respect fools.”

 

“Where’s the money? C’mon,” he asked, scowling darkly at the boy. “I’d hate to beat you senseless before I even found out.”

 

“It’s not here but does it really matter?” Izaya answered, swiftly flicking his blade out. Due to his injuries he had to hold it in his left hand, which meant he was already at a disadvantage. He held the knife level with the man’s chest and chuckled. Come on, Shizu-chan, he thought to himself. He didn’t plan on dying here. “We both know you’re just here to ‘teach me a lesson’, right?”

 

The man laughed and took a step toward Izaya. “You’re annoying, you know that? Shame the boss doesn’t want young blood on his hands, I’m sure you’d be a lot of fun to gut.”

 

Izaya moved forward and slashed his blade across the man’s chest, digging in enough to slice through the material of his shirt. He drew back before the man could grab hold of him, then lunged again with the blade aimed for his stomach. The man slid to one side and gripped Izaya’s forearm, catching the boy off guard. It was then wrenched violently behind his back and he gasped as he felt it pass the point of comfort and his shoulder began to twist. 

 

“Agh, f-fuck!” he cried. Swiftly, he span on his foot so that he could face his attacker and realign his shoulder. The knife was still in between his tightly clenched fingers. “Fuck you.” 

 

The man still had Izaya’s forearm in his grip so he held it steady, not allowing the boy to move away. “Look, I'm just doin’ a job okay?”

 

Izaya glowered at him and rolled his sore arm so that he could force the man to let go. He made note to train more in the future, sure he was fast but hand to hand combat was hardly his strong suit. As he made to lunge again, the man swiftly stepped to one side and raised his elbow, ramming it hard between Izaya’s shoulder blades. When he screamed the sound was little more than a winded rasp. He collapsed to the floor again, splayed face down in the dirt. When he attempted to raise his head, the underside of a solid boot kept him down. 

 

“Stubborn thing,” the man laughed, pressing his foot down hard against Izaya’s skull. “Gonna start talking sense soon? Or am I gonna have to start breaking bones?”

 

Izaya’s ears were ringing, his head dazed from the collision with the floor, breathing uneven with the first signs of  _ real  _ panic. The knife was still in his hand, so he jerked his arm awkwardly behind his back and stabbed the blade deep into the man’s calf muscle. Immediately the man drew back with a shriek and Izaya rolled away, then clambered to his feet as the man ripped the knife out of his leg. He bared his teeth toward the boy and took a few steps back, staring angrily down at the blood spurting from his leg.  

 

“Fuck orders,” the man growled. He reached into his jacket and withdrew the pistol from his pocket. The safety catch was switched off as he raised it up level with Izaya’s eyes. 

 

There was a quiet click, the sound of superheated gases dissipating in the space of the silencer, then Izaya felt a heavy weight collide with his side and he crashed to the floor by the entrance to the occupied tent. His head smacked against one of the rocks Kadota had used to keep the tent pegs in the ground. Though his vision was blurry and all noise sounded as if it were coming through a tin can, he could make out certain shadows and a vague conversation. 

 

“Fuckin’ idiot, we were told not to kill anyone!” 

 

Izaya cracked open an eye and searched the campsite for the source of the noise. Two dark outlines were stood on the other side of the fire, clearly shoving one another. 

 

“He stabbed me, so-”

 

“I don’t care. Let’s go, okay? Ugh, I told you not to bring a gun!”

 

The voices were getting quieter, further away. 

 

“I shot the big fucker anyway, who cares? Y’know I didn’t think a bullet would take him down after that display last night.”

 

“Shut up, dickhead, hurry up. We need to get back to the car. Not a  _ word  _ of this to the boss.”

 

There was silence for a little while and the boy considered moving but found his limbs wouldn’t do ask he asked. He was too tired, he wanted to sleep. Izaya moved his eyes down to the dark mass lying on the floor by the other tent. There was blond hair, a lot of blood. Stupid Shizu-chan, he thought sluggishly, why did he have to go and do that? He felt the movement behind him, clearly the two boys in the tent had finally woken. Before he passed out he wondered if the bullet hit Shizuo’s head, wondered if he’d really die.

  
  



	10. Are you coming?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Will be updating Viewpoint then Blame. :) A little longer for Masterpiece as it's proving quite a wieldy plot that needs editing/splitting up. Please enjoy! The next chapter is pretty much just smut, then end. Then one final chapter based just before the beginning of Blame.

“I don't know, we’ll just have to wait until he wakes up.” 

 

“Shinra, we really need to take him to the hospital.”

 

“Not we don't! Izaya barely has a concussion and Shizuo-”

 

“He’s been shot!”

 

“Guys, I'm here y’know? I'm fine..”

 

Izaya opened his eyes groggily to find his three companions standing over him. Shinra was peering at him, slightly crouched and was Kadota wiping his hands on a bloody rag. He turned his bleary gaze up to meet the gaze of the third, who was glaring down at him with his arms crossed over his broad chest. 

 

“Shizu,” he mumbled, gently. 

 

The blond’s scowl softened a little, and he dropped to his knees so he was closer to Izaya. “Hey, flea. You awake?”

 

“Yeah,” Izaya replied, trying to blink away the blur skewing his vision. “Head hurts. Am I dead?”

 

Shizuo frowned and shook his head. It was then that Izaya noticed the long, bloody mark hidden beneath his fringe. It started mid-forehead and ended around the temple. The graze wasn't too deep, nor wide, but it looked raw and painful - not that Shizuo seemed to notice. 

 

“You hit your head on a rock, idiot,” Shizuo replied. “‘I can handle this myself’, my ass.”

 

Shinra knelt down on the other side of Izaya and prodded him in the side. The injured boy hissed when pain spiked from the their beneath Shinra’s fingertip across his torso. 

 

“Ow! Fucking hell Shinra!”

 

The bespectacled boy laughed lightly and drew his hand back. “I think you've got a few bruised ribs as well. Slight concussion, few surface wounds and- oh yeah! A couple of your fingers are broken. Nothing too bad.”

 

Kadota balked at him. “Nothing too bad?”

 

“Well, he usually fights against Shizuo so more often than not his wounds are pretty bad,” he replied. Izaya sat up slowly and placed a hand on his throbbing head. Shinra placed a hand behind his back to keep him steady and raised three fingers in front of his face. “What do you see?”

 

“Three fingers. And an idiot,” Izaya glared at him and pushed his hand away. He glanced up at Shizuo and ran back through his hazy memories, trying to piece together what happened. “Didn't you get shot?” 

 

“Yeah,” Shizuo answered, gruffly. He ran a hand under his fringe and flipped it up so Izaya could get a better look at the wound. “Just grazed my head though.”

 

Izaya furrowed his brow in confusion. “So why were you lying on the floor? I thought you were dead.”

 

“That was the idea. I fell over when the first bullet hit me, so I thought if I just stayed there and played dead that they might freak out and leave. When I was fighting with the other guy he kept sayin’ they weren't here to kill anyone. And while I might be able to handle getting shot, you guys certainly can’t.”

 

“That's oddly smart,” Izaya said, surprised. “For an idiot like you.”

 

Shizuo growled under his breath and reached down so that he could drag Izaya to his feet by the collar of his shirt. The blond bore his teeth at the other boy and shook him aggressively back and forth. “Now you wanna explain  _ in detail  _ as to why I’ve been shot in the head and you almost got all of us killed?”

 

Kadota laid a hand on Shizuo’s shoulder and gave him a stern look. “Don’t shake him like that, he’s got a head injury.”

 

“He got me  _ shot,  _ Kyouhei!” the boy exclaimed. Despite his wish to toss Izaya into the fire, he dropped him back onto the ground, where he was propped up by Shinra. Izaya’s face twisted in discomfort and his legs sagged under the weight of his bruised body. For a moment, Shizuo felt a pang of guilt, then the smaller boy turned his hateful eyes up, their gazes locked and the familiar burn of anger returned. “He almost got all of us killed.”

 

Kadota turned to Izaya and ran a hand through his air. It was the middle of the night, he was exhausted, still a little tipsy and pissed off. “What happened?”

 

“Well, you see-” Izaya began, a wry smile working its way onto his face. 

 

Kadota clicked his tongue and folded his arms across his chest. “Tell the truth for once, or I’ll let Shizuo shake you all he wants.”

 

The blond grinned as Izaya’s smile fell. With a sigh the brunet pushed himself away from Shinra and lowered himself to the ground, limbs twitching in pain as he crossed his legs over one another. The other three joined him around the fire, each staring at him accusingly. Izaya told himself he didn’t care, that it wasn’t his fault that Shizuo ended up with a gaping head wound or that Shinra and Kadota were clearly shaken by the sight of them. He didn’t care but his stomach was squirming uncomfortably and he couldn’t stop chewing nervously on the inside of his cheek.

 

“I made a mistake,” he conceded, eventually. He raised a hand to his bruised cheek and felt the tender skin softly. His broken fingers ached terribly and he winced as he settled the hand back in his lap. “An oversight.  Shinra, Dotachin, I apologise for bringing you into it.”

 

“What about me?” Shizuo asked, gruffly. 

 

Izaya sent him a sneer and wrinkled his nose. “In what world would I ever apologise to you?”

 

Kadota placed a hand on Shizuo’s chest before he could launch himself at Izaya. “Calm down, we’ve had enough for one night, yeah?”

 

“Yeah, sorry,” Shizuo mumbled, sitting back on the ground. He shuffled closer to Shinra and pointed at his forehead. The strands of blond covering his brow were slick and stained scarlet from the wound across his temple. “Can you work your magic, Shinra? I don’t wanna get infected or anything.”

 

“Sure. Izaya, I’ll tape you up once we’re back, okay?” Shinra said, as he got to his feet, beckoning Shizuo to follow him into the tent. 

 

They disappeared out of sight, leaving Izaya and Kadota sitting quietly around the fire. It was still burning merrily thanks to the amount of fuel logs they had placed at the base, so despite it being two in the morning, the campsite was still warm and fairly well-lit. Kadota sighed again and rubbed his tired eyes. 

 

“You’re gonna get really hurt one day, you know that?” he said, looking over at the injured boy. “One day you’re gonna push the wrong person too far and they’re gonna ruin you. Do you really want that?” 

 

Izaya smiled and stretched his legs out into a more comfortable position. “Of course not. What kind of fool would want something like that?”

 

“What kind of fool indeed,” Kadota murmured, turning his head to stare into the fire. “I don’t understand why you’d intentionally jump into danger-”

 

“Hey, Dotachin?” Izaya interrupted. His tone was far less playful than it had been before and when Kadota looked back up at him, there was a cold, unfamiliar expression on his face. “People in glasshouses shouldn’t throw stones.”

 

The other boy frowned. “What do you-?”

 

Izaya leaned forward and spoke softly, so that their companions wouldn’t hear. “Exorcising your grief joining the Blue Squares by beating the shit out of people? Tsk, tsk indeed. What would your Father think?” 

 

Kadota’s eyes widened in shock. Izaya watched the youth’s fists clench, his lips twitch in irritation and for a moment he thought that he was going to get punched in the face. The moment passed and Kyouhei breathed out and stood. He shook his head and headed toward the tent without casting Izaya another glance. 

 

“Don’t make enemies of everyone, Izaya,” he called back, raising a hand. “Or one day we’ll all be lining up to play Brutus and Cassius.”

 

Alone, Izaya looked at the sky and shut his eyes, listening to the sound of the other boys packing away their tents. To die like Caesar, he thought to himself, a smile gracing his lips. At least he would be infamous. 

  
  


_ -0-  _

  
  


They spent the day laying low in the hotel room on Shizuo’s instance. The chance of those mobsters being on the lookout was slim, considering the way they ran, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Most of the daytime was spent climbing down the hill but during the afternoon they lounged about, playing games and reading. The two foes ignored one another for the most part, only interacting when the four of them were playing cards together. Even then, they avoided one another’s gaze and acted civilly enough that it made the Kadota suspicious. He kept his mouth shut though, glad to finally have some piece. Izaya’s fingers were expertly taped up by Shinra and rather than stitching the large gash on Shizuo’s head, the would-be doctor slapped an embarrassingly large band-aid over it. Instead of getting to see the final evening fireworks from the cliff where they had been camping, they were crowded on the balcony outside of Shizuo and Izaya’s room. It wasn’t too bad, Shinra went out to get takeaway and alcohol, the television was blaring the music channel and they were in surprisingly good spirits despite last night’s debacle. The fireworks passed at nine, just after sundown. They were as spectacular as the guide books detailed, spanning the entire landscape between the cliffs on either side of the hotel. Light, colourful and bright and brilliant, burst across the night. For a moment Shizuo glanced away from the blaze to watch Izaya, whose eyes shone only brighter in the glare of the fireworks. The smaller youth looked curious in the coloured light, all angles and blossoming bruises. Shizuo thought back on the night before, on the feeling of Izaya’s lips forceful and warm against his own and took a sip of his beer to try and forget the taste. Slowly, he looked back at the fireworks and pushed the traitorous thoughts away. The little shit had almost gotten them all killed and he  _ despised  _ him, it certainly wasn’t the right time to be thinking about something as trivial as kissing. There was no chance that would ever happen again and to be honest he wasn’t certain that he even wanted that. The show kept the boys engrossed for a while, then the sky darkened and all apart from Izaya retreated inside. 

 

The brunet stared at the sky, eyes tracing the smoke patterns left trailing between the stars. The display, the light, the noise - it gave the boy a sense of finality. The brilliance of the explosions died, school was ending, adulthood was right around the corner. Time to grow up, he thought, with a wry smile on his face. Yeah, right. Izaya would never stop playing, not until the moment he died. The sound of the door sliding open drew his attention, so he turned to see Shizuo stepping over the threshold with a cigarette in his mouth. 

 

“Where are the others?” he asked, turning around. He leaned back against the railings and cocked his head to one side as Shizuo approached silently. “Aw, still pissed off?”

 

Shizuo stopped a few steps in front of Izaya and took the cigarette out of his mouth, between his fore and middle finger. Strangely, he wasn’t scowling, he just looked confused. “They went to bed.”

 

“I see,” Izaya murmured. He turned back to look at the sea as Shizuo came to stand beside him. They mirrored one another’s positions, bent at the waist, forearms flat against the rail. 

 

“You are a real piece of shit for what you did, flea,” Shizuo commented, bluntly. He took a drag of his cigarette and looked up at the sky. “But I think you know that.”

 

Izaya smirked and glanced sideways to look at the blond. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

To his surprise, Shizuo chuckled. Smoke drifted from between his lips and out into the air. “Your ability to bullshit never fails to astound me.”

 

“Well, I’m glad I astound you, Shizu-chan,” he replied, smoothly. He turned his torso to face Shizuo and observed him closely. “Can I have some smoke?”

 

“Here,” Shizuo said, offering him the cigarette. The other youth was looking at him strangely, it was too intimate, too close. 

 

Izaya tilted his head and leaned a little closer. “That’s not what I meant.”

 

“What?” he began, frowning. Izaya tapped on his own mouth and raised a brow suggestively. 

 

The blond furrowed his brow and leaned back, enough to give himself some breathing room. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds, then shook his head and took another short, sharp drag of the cigarette. Izaya doesn’t notice it but he holds his own breath at the same time. 

 

“Why did you kiss me?” Shizuo asked, quietly. “Don’t you hate me?”

 

The brunet rolled his eyes. “Of course I do.”

 

“Don’t avoid the question.”

 

“I answered one of your questions, idiot,” Izaya sighed and looked back out over the sea. The blond shoved him in the ribs with him elbow. “Ow - dick. I don’t know Shizu-chan. Because I wanted to. It seemed like a fun thing to do at the time.”

 

“Fun,” Shizuo repeated, flicking the cigarette butt over the balcony. “I see. And we won’t talk about it again?”

 

He shook his head. “I can’t see either of us wanting to, can you?”

 

“I suppose you’re right,” the blond agreed. He placed his hands in his pockets and turned fully to face Izaya, who did the same. “So, what now?” 

 

“What indeed,” Izaya smiled and swivelled on his heel. He made his way back into their room, stopping momentarily at the door to glance back at the other boy. “Are you coming?”

 

Shizuo watched as he disappeared into the darkness of the room. He tried to think of a reason to ignore the flirtatious tone and the dark look in Izaya’s eyes -  _ I hate him, he hates me, we want to kill each other _ . All those reasons, all of them could still exist after he followed Izaya through the door. Things didn’t have to change, he could still  _ hate _ , they could still-

 

“Yeah,” he replied, taking his hands out of his pockets. “Yeah, I’m coming.”

 


	11. Adulthood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're finally done! I hope you enjoy. If you fancy reading the follow up, please do go check out 'Blame' which I will also be finishing soon. :)

By the time Shizuo slid the door shut behind him, the rational voice telling him that he was  _ really _ fucking up grew silent. Izaya turned to face him as he dropped down onto the bed, a sly smile on his face. The blond stopped advancing and stood rooted to the spot a few feet away as the other boy started to remove his shirt. What was happening - was he actually going to  _ fuck  _ the creature he hated most? Izaya dropped his shirt on to the floor and moved his hands down to his belt. His skin was pale enough to stand out even in the darkness of the hotel room but his facial features were skewed, his mouth a dark split and his eyes barely more than two black pits. Shizuo started to move forward, gaze fixed on the way Izaya’s thin fingers were workling the buckle of his belt. When he was only a foot away the brunet glanced up at him and threw him a filthy smile.

 

“Well?” Izaya admonished, leaving his belt to prod Shizuo’s chest. “Are you going to take your clothes off or stand there like a gormless idiot?”

 

The insult quickly snapped the blond out of the daze he’d been in. A growl rumbled low in his chest as he lurched forward, pulling his shirt off with one hand. After discarding it on the floor he shoved Izaya back against the bed. Shizuo dragged him across the mattress so that his head was resting on the pillows. Izaya chuckled in amusement and wrapped his arms around Shizuo’s shoulders as the blond straddled his hips and leaned over him. 

 

“Such a caveman,” he laughed, running his fingers through the hair on the back of Shizuo’s head. “Then again, I never expected you to be a gentle lover.”

 

“I’m not your  _ lover. _ ”

 

Shizuo grabbed ahold of the hand in his hair and pinned it down beside Izaya’s head. The brunet rolled his hips up against the blond’s and he groaned lowly in response. The sound seemed to please Izaya who repeated the action again, laughing under his breath. Shizuo could feel the other’s hardness sliding against his own and the friction sent a shudder down his spine. Before Izaya could do it again, Shizuo grabbed ahold of his hip with his free hand and forced him down into the mattress. 

 

“Stop fucking squirming,” Shizuo grunted. He shoved his mouth against Izaya’s before the other boy could reply, wanting silence rather than another snide remark. It didn’t seem to bother Izaya at all, he returned the kiss with as much vigour as Shizuo. The blond moved his hand from his hip and started to fumble with his belt buckle. After a moment of fumbling, he withdrew from the kiss and undid the catch with both hands. 

 

“Very smooth,” Izaya mocked. Now that his hand was free he raised it up and ran his fingers down Shizuo’s chest. There were plenty of scars for him to trace, many of them left by the brunet’s switchblades. The blond’s body was not that of a eighteen-year-old, the contusions and discolourations more suited to a seasoned soldier than a schoolboy. Izaya wondered how many of his bones had been broken, how many muscles torn, how much of his blood had been spilled over the years. Shizuo shuffled back on the bed so that he could pull the other boy’s jeans and boxers off. “Have you ever done this before?”

 

Shizuo remained silent as he threw the clothes onto the floor. He shoved Izaya’s legs apart and crawled back between his thighs, hands coming to rest on either side of his head. The question was simple but he seemed to have trouble allowing himself to speak. It was only when Izaya opened his mouth that he finally blurted. “Not sex. Other stuff though. Have you?”

 

The honest answer surprised Izaya somewhat - he’d been expecting a punch to the face or a harshly growled insult. He narrowed his eyes and chose his answer carefully as he had no experience at all, not even in ‘other stuff’. “No. But I know how it all works.”

 

“It’s not exactly fucking rocket science, flea,” Shizuo replied. He rocked back onto his knees so that he could slide a hand down Izaya’s chest. “How do you wanna do this?” 

 

“What do you mean?” Izaya asked, wrinkling his nose. The look of resentment only lasted a moment until Shizuo stroked a finger down his length. Even though the touch was gentle it was enough to make Izaya let out a short gasp. He’d never been touched intimately by another person, in fact he barely made contact with anyone save for a few unwanted hugs from Shinra or his sisters. Sure he’d experimented by himself, what teenaged boy didn’t, but the feeling of another person wrapping their fingers around his cock caused his pulse to go haywire. 

 

Shizuo grinned, pleased with the response. He ducked down so that he could press his lips to Izaya’s neck and suck the skin there into his mouth. The needy whine he let out was delightful, it made Shizuo’s blood rush until he could hear it pounding in his ears. He drew back, feeling heat reddening his face, and continued his slow stroking of Izaya’s cock. 

 

“I mean uh- well. Do you want to, or um, do you want me to-?” Shizuo began, awkwardly. It was clear that Izaya was having trouble concentrating due to the blond’s ministrations but after a moment a look of understanding crossed his face and he turned his head to the side so he wouldn’t have to look at him. Shizuo frowned but made no move to force his gaze back, realising that Izaya’s lack of experience might be making him nervous. Part of him wanted to mock the flea for that but it didn’t seem like the right moment to start slinging insults around. Not when Izaya’s face was stained with a pleasant blush, his mouth was hanging open and his eyes were hazy and lidded. 

 

The brunet drew in a deep breath and tried to steady himself. He attempted to force a lazy, unbothered smirk onto his face but it was spoiled as his featured kept twisting and twitching when pleasure would shoot through his body. “How p-polite of you, Shizu-chan.”

 

“Stop calling me that,” he chided. “And stop messing around, just be honest for once.”

 

Izaya shuddered and kicked a heel into Shizuo’s back. “Just get on with it, monster.”

 

Shizuo frowned and pushed the other boy’s hips into the bed, stilling the hand pumping his cock. “I’m not gonna do  _ anything  _ until you tell me what you want.”

 

He groaned and slung a hand across his eyes so he wouldn’t have to look at Shizuo’s intense stare. “Fine, fine. You - you can do it.”

 

“You sure?”

 

“Are you too stupid to understand me?” Izaya snapped, throwing his arm back down by his side so that he can return Shizuo’s glare. “You’re so dense, Shi-”

 

The blond captured his lips before he could continue and a growl rumbled deep in his chest. Izaya grunted as his bottom lip was sucked between Shizuo’s teeth and roughly bitten. When he tasted something metallic in his mouth, he pushed against the beast’s chest and flipped them over so he was now straddling his waist. 

 

“Always so violent,” he murmured, leaning down so that he could rest his forearms on Shizuo’s chest. The larger youth looked back up at him, nose wrinkled in a look at disgust. “Do try not to make me bleed in other areas, okay?”

 

Shizuo’s eyes widened in shock and he shook his head vehemently. “I hate you but I wouldn’t d-”

 

Izaya laughed in his face and wound a hand around his head so he could thread his fingers through the bleached locks. “Save your chivalry for someone who cares. Now  _ hurry up. _ ”

 

“Thought you weren’t into monsters?” Shizuo breathed, running a hand up the other boy’s side. 

 

Izaya hummed playfully and arched his back so that he could grind his ass into Shizuo’s crotch. The blond let out another rushed breath and gripped Izaya’s waist roughly between his fingers. The brunet winced at the sudden pressure. It would most likely bruise but that was to be expected - it was Shizu-chan, after all. 

 

“I suppose I could have been lying,” he murmured, leaning forward so that he can look into Shizuo’s eyes. He gave the blond a lazy smile and pressed their foreheads together. “I suppose I don’t mind your chest.”

 

Shizuo smirked in a way to manner that matched the one on Izaya’s face and his eyes narrowed unpleasantly. “Oh yeah? Then why do you keep tryin’ to cut it?”

 

The brunet laughed again, a little louder and lighter than before, and moved his lips back to Shizuo’s shoulder. The monster wasn’t playing as expected but Izaya had never been one to shy away from taking the reins. If Shizuo insisted on being all  _ soft  _ then he’d have to be  _ rough  _ in order to get what he wanted _.  _ Izaya’s warm breath was comforting to the other boy and for a moment Shizuo thought he might do something tender but then Izaya’s teeth bit aggressively into his skin. It barely registered as painful - for Shizuo, not many things did - instead eliciting a broken, lustful groan from him and he rocked his hips up to meet Izaya’s. The brunet drew back with a sharp hiss and stared down at him, wiping his mouth with the back of his forearm. When he dropped his arm Shizuo saw more blood smeared across his chin and when he grinned there was scarlet staining his teeth.

 

“Because I love leaving my mark on you, Shizu-chan,” Izaya answered. 

 

He lurched forward without waiting for a response and captured his lips in a bruising kiss. Izaya snaked his fingers beneath the other’s shirt and tugged at the material. Shizuo took the hint and sat up so that Izaya could remove his shirt. They have to separate in order to pull it off. It’s discarded on the floor on top of the brunet’s and quickly joined by the rest of their clothes. The two youths were vicious in the way their tore at each other’s garments, neither particularly caring whether or not there are any complaints. Shizuo clawed his hands down Izaya’s back and gripped his backside, groaning at the feeling of warm, bare skin. The brunet pulled back from the kiss and stared at the other man. He couldn’t decide if he preferred Shizuo’s face stained with the flush of anger or arousal - probably the latter. Izaya’s eyes darkened and he jerked back teasingly when the blond tried to lean into another kiss. 

 

“Patience, monster,” he taunted, stroking a hand down Shizuo’s face. 

 

“I thought you wanted me to ‘hurry up’?”

 

“I should have known better than to expect any decent foreplay,” Izaya chided, digging his nails into Shizuo’s shoulders. Come on monster, he thought, show me your fangs. “Such an animal. No better than a dog.”

 

The reaction was  _ glorious.  _ A low growl ripped from Shizuo’s throat and he grabbed Izaya by the throat so that he could turn them over. The informant let out a winded gasp when he hit the mattress, he didn’t even get a chance to draw in a full breath before Shizuo’s weight crushed him from above. Izaya coughed a laugh and shoved the blond back, winding his legs around his waist so that he can flip them over again. Shizuo surprisingly didn’t stop him, he just lay there as Izaya clawed at his hair, chest, shoulders, nails digging in deep enough to leave harsh red marks across his skin. His actions expressed an unusual desperation that didn’t go unnoticed by Shizuo, nor by the brunet himself, but neither made any indication that it bothered them. Izaya drew back and looked down at the other youth’s raw chest, practically salivating at the sight of the scratches blossoming there. 

 

“Enjoying yourself?”

 

Shizuo grunted but the flush on his cheeks and the laboured breaths he was taking indicated that he was enjoying it more than he let on. “Shut up.”

 

The brunet grinned, taking the comeback as agreement. He reached down and stroked a hand down Shizuo’s cheek, enjoying the heat. The tender touch was fleeting, soon Izaya drew his hand back and slapped it hard across the blond’s face. Shizuo gasped out of surprise rather than pain and swung his head back round to look at Izaya. His mouth was agape, breathing ragged but there was  _ definite  _ lust in his eyes. Izaya took that as a signal to continue and leant down so that he could bite down on the other man’s neck. He isn’t gentle because he knew that he would never be able to hurt the monster without a weapon. And even then, he’d need a bazooka to take him out. 

 

“Fuck, Izaya,” the words rolled off his tongue as more of a growl, almost unintelligible. The noise sent a shiver of excitement up Izaya’s spine so he moved his head and carried on biting Shizuo’s chest. When the informant ground down on him, he let out the most delightful moan and bucked up into the motion. 

 

“Does it feel good, Shizu-chan? Being at the mercy of someone else’s hands?” Izaya sneered, snaking his way down Shizuo’s body until he was situated between his splayed thighs. “You know, this is how most people feel when they are confronted with a monster like you. A little scared, a little weak, a little in awe.”

 

Shizuo let out a breath. “I’m not a monster.”

 

He chuckled and carried on speaking as if he hadn’t heard his remark. “But not me. I’ll never be scared of you, I hate you too much.”

 

“Shut your mouth already,” Shizuo growled, grabbing hold of the other's hair. 

 

Izaya could feel his fingers shaking from the effort it took not to pull his scalp off. He nuzzled back into Shizuo’s palm but the smug look on his face ruined the tender action. The blond held his breath as Izaya’s hand crept down his stomach and teased the hair leading down to his crotch. He was sure how Izaya managed to flip their positions - wasn’t he the one in control only moments ago? 

 

Part of him itched to throw the brunet down and fuck him without further overture but the more rational voice in his head told him to hold himself together. Most of the time he didn’t give a shit about hurting Izaya but he wasn’t willing to lose control and do something he would regret, even to the flea. The smaller youth noticed his discomfort and latched his teeth onto Shizuo’s hip hard enough for the blond to buck him off. 

 

“Stop fucking biting me!” he hissed, raising a knee so that he could shove it into Izaya’s side. Shizuo dragged him up the bed by his hair and sat up so that they could face one another. Izaya had a lazy smile on his face and his eyes were bright with amusement. “Are we gonna do this or what?”

 

“Yes,” Izaya replied. His smile widened until he was showing teeth and the glint in his eye became almost manic. “As soon as you stop holding yourself back.”

 

Shizuo stiffened uneasily. “What’re you talkin’ about?”

 

“I know you’re  _ frightened  _ of ruining everything you touch, monster,” Izaya said, smoothly. He tried to move his head but Shizuo gripped his hair tighter. “But I’m not able to break under you. It’s not in my nature. So stop being so gentle and  _ fuck _ me like I want you to.”

 

They stared silently at one another for a moment, then Shizuo let out a gruff sigh and released Izaya’s hair. “I don’t k-“

 

He was cut off when Izaya spat in his face. It globbed over his cheek and ran down the side of his neck to the sheets where it splattered unpleasantly. Shizuo blinked, then the familiar feeling of uncontrollable fury blossomed in his chest. He grabbed the other boy by the throat and twisted their bodies so he could force him down onto the mattress. Izaya laughed gleefully, pleased with the reaction. 

 

“There’s my beast,” he cooed, voice wavering under the weight of Shizuo’s palm. 

 

_ My  _ beast, Shizuo’s rational voice noted.  _ Mine. Yours.  _ He let himself get lost in the fury before it became too personal. 

  
  
  


-0-

  
  
  


Shizuo dragged the window shutter closed and glanced up at the ‘fasten seatbelt sign’ which had just turned off. The tannoy sounded overhead and the voice of an air hostess informed the cabin that there would be a service of snacks and drinks starting soon. An excited gasp and the sound of clapping came from the seats in front, which were filled by Shinra and Kadota.

 

“Seriously man, how can you drink so much wine? You had three glasses at the airport!”

 

Shinra laughed merrily. “I’m proposing to Celty, I need some Dutch courage!”

 

Shizuo unbuckled the seatbelt across his lap and looked down at the boy slumped down in the seat next to him. Kadota and Shinra insisted the two of them sit together, citing ‘ _ we’re tired of your bullshit and you can’t fight on a plane’  _ as their reason. The first ten minutes on the plane were spent showing their friends how wrong they were but as soon as a particularly stern air-hostess told Shizuo and Izaya off, they finally settled down. Izaya was hunched over some thick paperback, eyes rapidly flicking from side to side as he devoured the story. The blond sighed and leaned against the side of the plane, bored out of his mind. It had only been an hour but he’d already skimmed through the manga he’d brought and his phone was too shitty to have any amusing games on it. It was dark outside so he couldn’t even find interest in the landscape below. He stared into space, mulling over the possibility of just sleeping for the remaining two hours, until Izaya suddenly looked up at him and snapped his fingers in front of his face. Shizuo blinked. He hadn’t even realised he had been staring at Izaya. 

 

“Stop staring at me, monster,” he demanded, scowling. “I’m trying to read.”

 

“I wasn’t staring,” Shizuo grunted, folding his arms over his chest. “I’m bored.”

 

Izaya glowered at him and turned back to his book. “Not my problem.”

 

“Do you have a spare book or anything?” Shizuo asked. He prodded Izaya’s arm until the brunet let out an irritated sigh and laid the paperback on his lap. The boy shoved an elbow painfully into Shizuo’s ribs. In response the blond grabbed his bicep and dragged him closer, face growing red with anger. “Play nice, flea. You don’t have any knives up here.”

 

“‘Nice’ - why?” Izaya hissed, lowly. He tilted his head to the side so that he could speak softly into Shizuo’s ear. “Do you think I’m going to be  _ nice  _ because we fucked?”

 

Shizuo swallowed thickly and shoved Izaya back into his seat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

“Uh huh,” he responded, picking his book back up. “Well then, I guess neither do I.”

 

They held one another’s gaze for a moment longer but neither spoke, so soon they broke apart an turned their heads away. That was the moment, in both of their minds, that they decided ‘what happened in Okinawa’ would never be spoken of again. It was a silent agreement that they would adhere to for a long time, preferring to remain as enemies and ignore the strange sense of connection they felt at times. The time passed slowly and the cabin grew quiet as the tired passengers started to drift into sleep. The boys slumped into their seats and closed their eyes, each mulling over school, the relationships they made there and how the world would soon be changing. 

 

Shinra thought about the strange creatures in his life. Izaya and Shizuo had been two constants in his life growing up and part of him believed they would remain there long into adulthood. Did he think they would learn to settle their differences - absolutely not. But he couldn’t help but hope that the two of them wouldn’t end up tearing one another apart. Shinra rested his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. In the end, Shizuo, Izaya, Kadota - none of them mattered in the end. The only thing he cared about now was Celty. He felt his heart fill with warmth and he sunk further into the seat, the wine and love causing his cheeks to flush. The future could only get better.

 

Kadota spent the entire flight awake, staring absently at the fan above his head. He was mulling over the future and where he might fit in. The Blue Squares were shaping up to be a stable influence in his life, even if they weren’t the most moral of companies. Izaya’s threat still rang loud in his ears ‘ _ what would your Father think?’.  _ Kadota sighed and turned to look out of the window at the pitch black sky. His Father wouldn’t think anything, he was already dead. 

 

Izaya marked the corner page of his book and shoved it back into his bag, not caring too much if the pages creased against the material. It had been an interesting holiday to say the least. He glanced at the back of Shizuo’s head, which was leaning against the plastic above the window. It had been fun and perhaps some shut away part of him had genuinely enjoyed those strange moments they’d shared but nothing would change between the two of them, that much was certain. If anything he was glad, their hatred was a constant in a future which would be ever-changing and difficult. There were times where he debated his choice in profession but his natural mischievous curiosity always overtook any reservations in the end. Izaya didn’t feel like his childhood was ending - he felt as if he’d never had one to begin with. 

 

Shizuo spent the rest of the flight staring at the wall, pondering how his life would play out. Perhaps one day he could reign in his temper and the villagers would put their pitchforks away. Maybe he could life a normal life, get a job, get married, have a kid. A sour taste filled his mouth - as if that would  _ ever  _ be possible. He felt Izaya’s elbow prod into his upper arm and turned his head to snap at the brunet, only to find that he’d slouched down, asleep. Even during Izaya looked unsettled and tense. He slumped further and rested his head against the blond’s shoulder, completely unaware of what he was doing. Shizuo tried not to read into the feeling of comfort that made his stomach squirm, so he looked back at the beige plastic and sighed. He wondered if the other boy had ever had a moment of ease in his life, wondered if he ever would. The heat of the cabin made his eyes droop, so he allowed the brunet to remain where he was and eventually his head flopped on top of Izaya’s. 

 

It was the last moment of peace. 

 

.

 

.

  
  


.

 

They were 28 the next time they met.

  
  



End file.
